The Demon's Cry
by FuturisticVampire
Summary: Everyone around Rockpaw has become obsessed with war. Cats kill the friends they've known all their lives without thinking twice, and now Rockpaw must carve out his own path through the blood. He can only hope that he can make it through alive.
1. Prologue

**Universal Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors, I'm broke lol haha funny joke.**

 ***This Prologue has been just recently rewritten; it is now a thousand times better, or so I think.**

 **BTW, "Rated T for language" wasn't gonna fit in the description, so, as a warning, there's unrealistic swearing and unnessecary violence.**

 **Also, every chapter now has a quote from a song or a TV show or a movie or something. I don't own any of those. If you happen to notice that it's like the wrong lyrics or something, please don't rage.**

 **-FuturisticVampire**

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 _"Guarding yourself with the love of another left you with nothing tonight. Why does it sound like the devil is laughing, leaving me haunted tonight?"_

 _Guarded,_ Disturbed

Prologue

All day, the sky had been sad and grey over the heads of the ThunderClan cats. Ciderstar had travelled to the Moonstone and received her nine lives with Stonewhisker, the medicine cat that was much too young for the job that rested with him alone. The warriors in the Clan accepted Ciderstar's return celebratiously, and if their joy was a bit muted, it could be because of the fact that Spiderstar had died yesterday. Or, if one were to be indelicate about it, because most of the warriors thought she wasn't a good fit for leader. She had run from a fight one time too many, and no one really trusted her to have their back. However, Spiderstar had been hopelessly in love with her for whatever reason, and she was made deputy in a desperate attempt to grab her attention.

Nighttime came far too quickly, and Ciderstar found it impossible to sleep in the den that still smelled of her former leader. Even if the nest had been cleaned and a fat piece of fresh-kill was plopped next to it, its death-smell clouding the air. No, she would never think of this as her own den. It would always be Spiderstar's.

So she was resting half-asleep outside the Den That Wasn't Hers, when a sudden, revolting smell reached her. ShadowClan, her first reaction. Leave it up to Jaunestar to make these kind of cheap attacks on a sleeping clan.

But, no. The smell was different from ShadowClan's, just by a little. The smell of death was a bit more profound, and it smelled like blood, and it smelled like smoke.

Ciderstar backed into her den as the small black cat entered the camp through the tunnel. His golden eyes flashed in the darkness, and Ciderstar knew instantly the identity of this cat.

 _So it is ShadowClan..._

She could take him. Ciderstar was a good fighter, better than good, and the cat was just an apprentice. Her problem was her cowardice. The reason why she wasn't confronting this cat. The reason why she would never be able to properly defend her clan. She could fight, but she preferred not to if she could help it. Besides, where there was one ShadowClan cat, there were twenty more.

So right now, she waited. She wouldn't be the first to confront him.

The air turned cold as the cat wandered deeper into the camp, and darker somehow. Shadows lengthened and surrounded the camp, centered themselves around the cat and massed themselves into something resembling a solid being.

"I still am unsure that this is the best plan," the black cat said quietly, directing his words to the amassed shadows.

Ciderstar pressed herself against the wall of Spiderstar's den, now watching from a tiny parting in the vines. She internally pitied the cat who finally noticed the cat and his Shadows.

The Shadows seemed to whisper, a sound that could be mistaken for a breeze drifting through the trees, but at the same time was similar to the screeching sound of claws being scratched on a flat, smooth surface.

Ciderstar couldn't make out words, if they were in fact even words, but the small black cat seemed to understand.

"I understand what you need," he said, "but what I'm saying is that there are better, more orthodox ways of going about this.

"No, of course I'm not having second thoughts. I'm not a coward!

"Yes. What do you think I am, an idiot? But, wait-"

The sound came again, sharper this time, and definitely comparable to the sound of screeching cats.

"Yes, I understand," the cat sighed, obviously defeated. "I will."

The shadows melted back into the ground and the cat turned away.

Before Ciderstar could turn to see where he was going and why he was going there, something behind her caught her attention. A small sound. She froze, knowing she should look, but too scared to.

 _Ciderstar, darling_ , a Voice whispered.

 _Ciderstar, look behind you._

Ciderstar's breath came out in white puffs as the air took on an intense chill.

 _Ciderstar..._

A faint crackling noise came from behind her. She turned her head apprehensively, her eyes wide and her muscles tense.

The den behind her was quickly darkening, and ice climbed the walls. Ciderstar's breathing became short and hurried, and as she watched, the rabbit that had been left for her was rapidly deteriorating, the fur falling off and the flesh becoming brown and leathery before the Shadows swallowed it completely.

 _Ciderstar, there you are!_

"Stop it. Show yourself," Ciderstar said weakly, with a shaky voice.

 _Oh, trust me, dear, you don't want that._

The den continued to darken. Soon Ciderstar was encased in pitch-black foul smelling air, and she backed up panickedly.

"Get away from me..." She swiped at anything that seemed to move, and cried out in pain as her claws hit cold, solid rock. She backed into a wall and pressed herself against it, hissing and growling and swiping.

 _Oh, Ciderstar. You should know better by now_ , the Shadows laughed.

 _Ciderstar..._

..

Three warriors died that night. In the following days, three more from lasting injuries and low medical supplies. Nobody was exactly sure what happened, just that there was bleeding and pain and ice.

Within the following seven days. Ciderstar lost three lives. Rumor has it she did that to herself. After all, the only one with blood on their claws was her. In reality, or at least Ciderstar's reality, the demon in her was tearing her apart from the inside out.

By the time Whitekit and Rockkit are born, three moons later, she has lost seven lives.


	2. Chapter 1:: Demonic Laugh

**Okay, so this is Chapter 1 rewritten because although it was slightly better than the prologue, it was still a major piece of crap. It probably still is, but I like to think it has improved. The grammatical errors are now fixed, at the very least.**

 **Chapter 2 is also being remade, and it will be up soon.**

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 _"Don't you dare turn your back on me, I'll attack without a warning sign... The terror that lurks in the night."_

 _-Bad Blood_ , Creature Feature.

Chapter 1:: Demonic Laugh

Whitekit stepped out of the nursery cautiously, sniffing at every aspect of the ground before taking a step. Close behind her in the tunnel, Rockkit bounced from paw to paw impatiently, longing to get at least a glimpse of the outside world before their mother's allowance of "a few moments" was up.

When they finally made it out, the two kits realized with equivalent grunts of disappointment that the camp was not nearly as huge as the other, older kits made it seem. The two of them were absolutely crushed as they realized, the Highrock wasn't towering over them as Sagekit had described it. He had also said that the leader, Ciderstar was always sunning herself on a rock. But there was no such thing. The only cats that were sunning themselves were ancient, bony cats in a secluded corner of the camp. Warriors were definitely not doing battle practices with their apprentices, as Willowkit said they always do.

In fact, Whitekit could smell the stench of sickness in the air, could hear the coughing coming from a den covered in shadow to her right. A young cat who she guessed was the medicine cat plodded out wearily as she watched. He headed past the two kits with a warm, but brief, welcoming nod as he went to a pile of dead prey and picked out three separate pieces, no doubt for the cats inside his den. He passed them again, and Whitekit noticed his smell-also of sickness, but not his own. Underneath that was a sweet smell of many herbs. She watched him disappear into his den with a glow in her eyes, and at that moment, she fell in love. Not with the cat that carried the pungent scent, but the scent itself that called to her and pleased her.

Rockkit saw the fresh-kill pile as well, and only noticed how low it was. By midday it should be full, he reasoned, especially in newleaf. Was this the result of having poor hunters? Or lazy ones? He then looked back at the elders, catching the sun on their fur. Why were there so few? Don't warriors live to be old and respected by the rest of the clan? Why were there only three?

It was then that both kits concluded that they had a lot of work to do, to make their clan the best of all four.

...

Moons later, the kits chased each other around and around the camp. Whitekit lagged painfully behind; she was never fast enough to catch her brother, and so more often than not, she was the one that was "it." Rockkit definitely had the nimble legs of a warrior, the proud heart of a warrior, and also the wisdom that had barely sparked within him at this point in time, but would likely become his most defining trait as a warrior. That, of course, and his unfailing sarcasm.

Whitekit was not a fast runner, true, but she had a gentle way of speech and a sympathetic heart that would make her an understanding and sympathetic medicine cat. She would be the kind to make wounded cats feel safe inside of her den, instead of just physically better. There was an admiring light in her eyes whenever Stonewhisker, hardly more than nine moons old but still the clan's senior medicine cat, stepped out of his den, living proof that the young could still be held in a respected position.

At last, the kits tired themselves out with their game, and rested on a warm rock by the elders' den.

"You know something, Whitekit?" Rockpaw asked after he had caught his breath.

"Hm?" Whitekit yawned. The sun was going down, and honestly, it was past time to be asleep.

"When I'm grown, I'll be the greatest leader ThunderClan has ever known!" He looked up with his eyes alight, to the darkening sky, thinking on this. "None of the other clans will even _think_ of attacking us. Not even someone as arrogant as Weststar."

"You don't know if Weststar is arrogant," Whitepaw said. "You've never met him."

"Yeah, but Lichencoat said he's the most arrogant cat alive."

"I think she's said that about at least a dozen cats. She's old."

"Whatever. It doesn't matter, because we'll still chase them out, like they were nothing but cowardly mice. And then, ThunderClan will be so great and unchallenged, warriors will be able to live their lives to the fullest, and die with honor."

"Well," Whitekit said. "I'm going to be something even better than a leader."

"Are you?"

Whitekit nodded. "Mm-hmm. I'll be the best medicine cat _ever_. I will fix all the cats in this clan, so that they will never have to suffer from sickness again. And then ThunderClan will be so strong and healthy, that we'll be able to overcome _anything_."

"You and me together, sister, we can make ThunderClan great," Rockkit said.

Whitekit smiled at the thought. "Yes. Togther, the brother and sister that made ThunderClan the best."

And then Rockkit yawned, and stood as the last of the sunlight disappeared from the clearing. "We better go in. Mother is probably asleep if she hasn't called us in yet."

Whitekit nodded and padded beside him to the nursery. She was looking forward to a comfortable night next to her brother and her mother, and tomorrow would be a new day.

Neither of them felt the cold flash of Ciderstar's blue eyes as she watched them.

Ciderstar had changed that night. The night when everything inside her cracked open to make room for the mass of Darkness that made its home inside of her now.

But soon, it would leave her. It would leave her and find a new home. And it was looking right at its prize...

 _The kit..._

The shrieking of the terrified kits woke every warrior that was asleep and alerted the rest.

Rockkit and Whitekit's father figure, Silverfall, was the first to reach them. While every other cat in the clan crowded around Leaftail's body, and the ones that couldn't fit crowded around the ones that could, Silverfall whisked the kits away hastily, curling his tail around them protectively. With his eyes stained by the blood, Rockkit buried his face in Silverfall's thick fur.

Whitekit stared ahead through a small parting in the crowd, looking directly into her mother's eyes. Dead eyes they were. but still they hels a certain rapture. Silverfall attempted to shield Whitekit from it, but she didn't want to hide, like Rockkit was. Perhaps she felt herself above hiding, or perhaps she felt herself to be stronger than her brother. In any case, she faced her mother with an unwavering stare, wanting to remember every detail.

The clan deputy, Cedarclaw, fought his way through the gathered cats with the authority that a deputy claims but really has none of. However, when he saw the body of his sister, his last living family member, he shrunk back into the tunnel. The sister he loved, lying in the middle of the nursery, her own blood pooling around her and dripping out of her mouth. Her entire belly was torn open, by claws that could never belong to a cat. And the blood was fresh. Alarmingly fresh, cats started to realize.

Cedarclaw wasn't the one who organized the patrols. No one was surprised that it was Hawkstripe, who had always cared for Leaftail. He seemed to be rather surprised at himself, however. He couldn't remember the last time he'd assumed leadership over a situation.

Ciderstar watched the cats with sick amusement glittering in her eyes and her teeth bared in a smirk.

 _Fools..._ the Voice in her head whispered.

She couldn't contain her laugh of agreement.


	3. Chapter 2:: Subtle Scheme

**Hi! Chapter 2 is finally updated! I'm not saying it's professional level of awesome or anything (yet), but it's better than the original one, which was made like two or three years ago. This story is like three years old, discontinued after I gave up on fanfiction when this story was only three chapters long.**

 **Anyways, here it is, hope you enjoy!**

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 _"One day when you're big and strong, you'll be a king."_

 _-My Lullaby_ , The Lion King II

Chapter 2:: Subtle Scheme

Just one moon later, the two kits were standing before their leader, recieving their apprentice names. This ceremony was the first that Ciderstar had ever done herself, besides when she gave Greytail his warrior name. He didn't have a tail, so most cats read it as some odd sort of joke on Ciderstar's part.

This is where the real story begins, where the real growth happens.

This is where the delusions start to fester.

Stonewhisker had spoken to Cedarclaw for Whitepaw to become his apprentice, because he was the one who chose mentors for apprentices, and carried out the ceremonies. Cedarclaw had then informed Ciderstar, as he always did out of politeness and duty, and told her that he was picking Lightheart to be Rockkit's mentor. Ciderstar had then snapped at him, growling at him that Lightheart was the _worst_ choice for Rockkit, and she'll do the ceremony herself.

So Rockpaw and Whitepaw were the first ever kits to stand before Ciderstar and recieve their apprentice names.

She named Hawkstripe to be Rockpaw's mentor, and obviously Stonewhisker as Whitepaw's mentor.

After the ceremony, a hollow silence filled the camp. The clan didn't know what to make of these two harmless, and therefore insignificant, kits now grown into something much more significant. They, in particular, looked at Rockpaw. He was so like his mother, except the color of his eyes. It would have been more unsettling had je looked like his father, the tyrant, the traitor. No, look to Whitepaw if you want a reminder of their father's decieving gentle face and soft white fur. What troubled the clan was that he was Shatteredgaze's only son, and that he was the one who chose to be a warrior. Not only that, but since his mother's death, he had become bitter and pessimistic, and he was different than before, as he could only be expected to be.

After a long and unsettling pause, Stonewhisker quietly whisked Whitepaw away from the crowd, leaving Hawkstripe to remove Rockpaw from the circle of cats. Stonewhisker gave Rockpaw a tired nod of welcoming as he passed. He was always tired.

Whitepaw didn't look back.

Whitepaw, since Leaftail's death, had become sorrowful and insightful. She always hinted at the fact that she thought the clan was weak, though, unlke Rockpaw, she never offended anyone by pointing out a single cat.

Hawkstripe led Rockpaw through the dispersing crowd, telling him his plan for the day which he had just come up with on the spot.

"Traditionally, on the first day of training, the mentor shows their apprentice around the territory," he was saying. His voice echoed awkwardly throughout the clearing. "Um, we'll stay away from the ShadowClan border, because..." He didn't finish that thought.

Rockpaw wasn't really listening. Whatever Hawkstripe was saying were just words to fill the silence.

Rockpaw tried not to notice the poorly masked stares of his clanmates as everybody attended to their own duties, but he was struggling with it, and he could see Hawkstripe struggling too. The warrior's eyes were flicking around the camp, never focusing on his new apprentice. It was apparent that he didn't really want to be chosen for this job.

Who would, Rockpaw wondered, not bitterly, but not lightly either.

Sagepaw and Willowpaw were conversating in quiet tones across the camp, and his name came up between them more than once. Rockpaw shot them a quick look, a blazing look that should have been unsettling, but it did nothing to quiet them, if they noticed at all.

In the end, Rockpaw was able to keep his composure, though it was a fragile one.

It was a relief when Hawkstripe and Rockpaw ducked into the fern tunnel. Rockpaw let out a short breath he'd been holding, quickly cut off in surprise once he realized how big the world was.

 _(POV: Whitepaw)_

Stonewhisker often shut himself in his den, obsessed with finding a cure for his mother. Whitepaw had noticed this much in her childhood.

His mother really should have been given mercy a long time ago. She mostly lay in one spot, a scuffled bed of moss directly next to Stonewhisker's hollow. Whatever was wrong with Rainheart, it wasn't normal. It wasn't... physical.

It was incurable.

But it seemed that Stonewhisker hadn't figured that out yet, and all the plants and mixtures that he made her eat were just as filling as any squirrel or mouse.

Whitepaw still hadn't taken one pawstep outside the camp. She was literally shaking with impatience. She was an apprentice now! She wanted to see if the trees were really as big as Sagepaw had described them. So tall, he'd said, that you'd have to have to lay on your back to see the tops. And some were so thick that it would take four fully grown warriors touching nose-to-tail to reach around them.

Now was not one of those times where Stonewhisker surrounded himself with the misery and wounded hope of sick cats. He seeemed to be just as excited about recieving an apprentice as Whitepaw was about being made an apprentice, especially so soon in his life. However, they didn't go straight to the tunnel like Hawkstripe and Rockpaw. Instead, they made their way over to the elders' den, a place Whitepaw had been a thpousand times before. But it still held some wonder in its modest holding, for there was no recounting all the stories told and lessons taught in that small clearing.

"Now this," Stonewhisker whispered to her as they approached the den, "is your first mission."

"What is it?" Whitepaw asked, raw curosity in her voice.

"All you need to do is observe," came the answer, whispered like a kit's secret.

"Hi!" Whitepaw greeted Crowfoot with a warm purr as they approached the den. Crpwfoot was the only elder there at the moment-he wasn't much for ceremonies. He always said he was definitely old enough to catch his own prey, but by no means young enough. And he was right. He turned his blinded yellow eyes to Whitepaw's voice.

"Oh, is that Whitekit I hear? No," he chuckled. "it's Whitepaw now, isn't it?"

"Yes," Whitepaw answered.

Crowfoot nodded faintly. "It's nice to see you two. Or, I mean, speak to you. But I'm sure that you have more important things to do than idle chatting with the elderly. Why are you here?"

Whitepaw looked up at Stonewhisker, waiting for the answer.

Stonewhisker's gaze darkened. "Well, I am here about the implication that you passed on to Lichencoat the other day. Um, did-"

"Stonewhisker," Crowfoot interrupted. "I can assure you that I meant nothing by it. Not at the moment, anyway. I'll still be here for a while yet. Not planning anything absurd, I assure you."

Stonewhisker nodded.

"Now, was that all?"

Stonewhisker nodded. as Whitepaw began to figure out what this conversation had been all about.

"Yes Have a good day, Crowfoot." Stonewhisker turned and walked away from the den. Whitepaw quickly followed. without so much as a swish of her tail in farewell, thoroughly confused.

"What in the world was all that about?"

"Crowfoot is old, Whitepaw. He's dying slow. He wants a quick death, and it isn't uncommon for elders to ask their medicine cats for one."

"A quick death? With what? Poison?"

Stonewhisker shrugged.

"Well, why did _I_ have to come?"

Stonewhisker's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Because you're my apprentice. You need to learn these things."

Whitepaw scoffed and turned away.

Her first day of apprenticeship, and _this_ is what Stonewhisker decides his first lesson to be? Murdering Elders 101.

Her brother wanted to be a hero by fighting. She wanted to be a hero that saved cats' lives, by the dozen. To clean up the mess that warriors make. And this? Real heroic.

But... _would_ she actually have to _kill_ Crowfoot?

And what about Rainpelt?

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

"Holy hell," Rockpaw breathed. He was afraid he was going to be disappointed by the size of the trees, and the rocks, and the quality of the air, as he had been the first time he stepped paw outside the nursery.

Hawkstripe laughed. "Yes, it seems so big, doesn't it?"

Rockpaw nodded, unaware of his bitter and minorly condescending tone.

"Come," Hawkstripe said.

"What?" Rockpaw watched him walk to the base of the ravine that stood in front of the camp.

Hawkstripe motioned for Rockpaw to go first.

 _I have to climb that?_ Rockpaw thought, and his ecstasy began to diminish. WIthout any kind of instruction from Hawkstripe, he slowly walked to the base of the stony ravine. He looked to Hawkstripe, and the warrior nodded. Rockpaw spotted a well-trodden path that the warriors must use, and he made for that.

With Hawkstripe close behind him, he climbed, ignoring Hawkstripe;s growls of impatience and annoyance whenever he was sprayed with pebbles. It was a tedious climb which left Rockpaw breathless and Hawkstripe on edge.

It was beginning to look like he was going to make it, and then he took a wrong step.

Hawkstripe caught him by the scruff of his neck, almost falling with him. It was safe to say that Hawkstripe was never noted for any incredible strength, and Rockpaw was big for his age. Blood trickled out of small wounds and hisses and growls were exchanged as they both hefted each othe onto a flat boulder less than a tail's length from the top.

Hawkstripe bunched his muscles and leapt effortlessly the rest of the way up as soon as his breath steadied, but Rockpaw, terrified motionless and still panting, stayed put. As is panic slowly faded, he began to feel the damning sting of a thousand small cuts. He licked them apprehensively, wincing in pain every time his tongue lasped over a scratch. He hated the taste of his own blood.

Meanwhile, Hawkstripe did not attempt to rush him or even encourage him. He just basked in the sun after running a quick tongue over his cuts, occasionally licking one paw and flicking it over an ear.

When Rockpaw was ready, he put all his strength into jumping to Hawkstripe's level, and accidently wound up surpassing him. Hawkstripe blinked at him once before standing, stretching, and heading off into the trees.

Rockpaw was, of course, grateful that Hawkstripe hadn't rushed him into a leap of faith. But, he wondered if he should be worried. Maybe Hawkstripe hadn't cared whether or not Rockpaw made it to the top, and was just content to sit in the sun and enjoy the afternoon?

But then, why would he go through hell making sure Rockpaw made it as far as he did?

Well, whatever. Whether or not Hawkstripe was going to help him, he would train by himself to be the best. The strongest, fastest warrior, then deputy, then leader. No one was going to stop him.

 _(POV: Ciderstar)_

This day has been a long time in coming, Ciderstar thought. An apprentice at last.

She had picked out the mentors herself this time. She was curious how Hawkstripe and Rockpaw wouuld react to each other, and Stonewhisker was the only choice for a kit wanting to be a medicine cat. Ciderstar didn't think that they would make the best team. Stonewhisker was too desperate, and Whitepaw was too naive.

Stonewhisker would have to die, and there was no room for discussion on the matter. The job would be tedious, but it would get done. It would start with Crowfoot, then Rainheart, then Stonewhisker, a dear friend of the kit.

Leaftail's death had been Ciderstar's pleasure. A mercy, even. Stonewhisker's death would be less enjoyable. But it had to be done.

 _It had to be done._

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 **The other chapters are longer than this, don't worry!**


	4. Chapter 3:: And What Of Death?

_"Make a joke and I will sigh, and you will laugh, and I will cry. Happiness I cannot feel, and love to me is so unreal."_

 _-Paranoid_ , Avenged Sevenfold

Chapter 3:: And What Of Death?

 _In the dream, Rockpaw was alone. He was content to think he had always been this way, but in the back of his mind, he knew that he'd had family, once. He'd had a_ reason _to live, or at least a better one._

 _And now all he feels is the anger of lost love and denied revenge. He wanders, alone. He is hunting, though he couldn't say exactly what he was hunting for._

 _But he is lost, and the desperate lost do anything to find a place where they belong._

..

Rockpaw woke to the unwelcoming crispness of early winter, and the equally unwelcome sight of sunhigh. He's slept in too late again. And if he hadn't been woken up yet, it meant Hawkstripe was shirking his mentoring duties again. Not that Hawkstripe had anything against Rockpaw, but he'd enjoyed his period of not having any extra duties after his last apprentice achieved his goals. Swanpaw had never really been too excited about ThunderClan. But ShadowClan...

Jaunestar named him Swan's Night and promised him a high social standard in ShadowClan. Swan's Night was soon killed by his own new clanmates.

And so Rockpaw couldn't exactly blame Hawkstripe for his reluctance in his duties.

Rockpaw stretched as he exited the apprentices' den. Outside, the air was frosty and the grass stiff. The sun was shining but it nothing to dispel the fog. Rockpaw spotted Whitepaw across the camp, even caught her eye, but she looked away resoultely and Rockpaw wondered again what was the reason for her avoidance of him. Shame? Anger? Ashamed of herself or Rockpaw? Angry at him or ambivalent of his new mentor?

All of those things?

Well, what can he do, then, but participate in her petty game?

"Rockpaw!"

"What?" A clear disrespect, addressing his mentor like that, but Hawkstripe never seemed to care. StarClan knows he treats his elders the same way.

"You slept in! Shame on you!" Hawkstripe came to Rockpaw with jaunty steps and a well-natured look on his face. Rockpaw scoffed lightly.

"Only because you let me, Hawkstripe."

"Quite true, Rockpaw." Hawkstripe led Rockpaw with his tail, towards the tunnel entrance. "We can eat out there; I need to tell you something."

"Okay?" Rockpaw followed.

Once outside, the two of them scaled the stone wall, Rockpaw first still, even though he was much better at it than before. His legs were stronger, his claws were longer. He hardly ever slipped. Carefully, step by step, he climbed until he reached the top.

Hawkstripe gestured with his tail and Rockpaw walked beside him.

"So, Rockpaw, I have news for you."

"Good news?"

"Rockpaw," Hawkstripe chuckled, "you would know it if it were bad news."

 _Oh?_

"So tell me the good news," Rockpaw said.

"I'm getting there," Hawkstripe twitched his whiskers impatiently. "So, Rockpaw, the good news is that you are going to the Gathering this next full moon."

Rockpaw paused a minute in the rhythm of the conversation. Hawkstripe waited patiently for his reaction.

Rockpaw took a breath. "That's a good thing?"

"Oh, Rockpaw, the ever pessimistic. It's creditable on my part; be happy for me, at least."

"I'll try," the apprentice said. Truly, he would try to be happy for his mentor. But it's notable that he wasn't making any promises. He felt that he should, because he was grateful for Hawkstripe; not every cat would willingly rise up to the challenge that was Rockpaw if they were so chosen, but Hawkstripe, although somewhat of a slacker, was a good mentor.

So he'll try and seem (reasonably) excited, although all he wanted to do was kill himself before being dragged to the Fourtrees when he'd rather fast asleep and _dreaming_.

 _(POV: Whitepaw)_

Whitepaw wondered how long Stonewhisker was going to keep up this charade, pretending his mother was alive.

Sometimes she seemed to not be breathing.

And Whitepaw would tentatively tiptoe to her nest, sniff her fur that smelled like rotting flesh no matter how many times the nest was changed, and lightly poke her with a claw...

Most of the time Rainpelt did nothing but gasp, as if touched by a cold shard of ice. Whitepaw would return to her own nest but could never fall back asleep.

But then there was the one time when Rainpelt _exploded_. She woke and jumped to her usually limp paws and she towered above Whitepaw with her thin and ragged body, hissing and growling. After Whitepaw came out of her shock it became clear that Rainpelt was speaking actual words.

" _Why_ would you do that; I was _leaving_! Finally, it was my turn-Why did you wake me? Why..." She stopped and a tear fell from her eye.

Stonewhisker had calmed her down and helped her back into her nest. Whitepaw left the den and didn't come back until sunhigh.

Because she was crying.

She always cries.

And Rockpaw? He's even worse than Stonewhisker. Hawkstripe, even worse.

Hawkstripe was probably the one who killed Leaftail. He was crazy. Everybody was so crazy.

There is no medicine to cure craziness.

 _Yet._

And suddenly Whitepaw understood Stonewhisker.

"Whitepaw?"

"Yes?" Whitepaw answered, facing Stonewhisker with respect.

"I have news for you, Whitepaw." Stonewhisker came into the den and smiled at her.

"Bad news?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

He shrugged. "Tonight's the half moon."

"Yes."

"And it'll be your first gathering of medicine cats."

"Oh. That's nice," Whitepaw said. She didn't go the last half moon because Stonewhisker decided she was too small for the travelling, although she'd wanted to.

"You don't sound excited," Stonewhisker said, his tail swishing.

"No no, I'm excited," she said dispassionately. "Thank you, Stonewhisker."

He paused and looked at her, unconvinced. "Okay. Just thought you would be happier is all." And he left.

Whitepaw sighed. Stonewhisker was just getting worse and worse...

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

Hawkstripe and Rockpaw trekked through the undergrowth, heading to the river.

"You know what's a weird word?"

"Hm?"

"Affiliation."

"Why?"

Hawkstripe shrugged. "I was just thinking about something, and I thought, 'what a weird word, affiliation.' Isn't it?"

Rockpaw shrugged. "Why is it weird?"

Hawkstripe shrugged. "Quite condemning, isn't it?"

Rockpaw shrugged. "I guess so."

A moment of silence followed, in which Rockpaw reassembled his own train of thought.

"Can I tell you something?" Hawkstripe again spoke up.

"Why not?"

"It's about your mother." Hawkstripe looked at Rockpaw but the apprentice did not return the glance.

"I don't remember much about my mother," Rockpaw said. "Just the disgusting smell of her blood. Any other kind of memory would be welcome."

"Well, I doubt this would be welcome..."

"Well, you can't mention it then tell me to forget it."

"No, I guess not." Hawkstripe said this, but then he was silent, and when he spoke it was about a completely different topic.

Or maybe not so different.

"Death is an interesting concept, don't you think?"

"I guess."

"And murder? Who decides whether it's good or bad? What if they had been looking for their end and threw themselves into the claws of death? Is it bad, then? Is the murderer really a murderer? Or was it the fault of the 'victim'-suicide?"

"I think it's kind of obvious," Rockpaw said, but in truth he sometimes had at least halfway similar thoughts. He was nervous about Hawkstripe's tone of voice and wanted this conversation to end as soon as possible.

Hawkstripe paused. "Perhaps so. Depends on the perspective, I guess."

"Yeah. I guess."

And they continued in silence.

 _(POV: Ciderstar)_

 _They don't notice us._ The voice in Ciderstar's head whispered, amused.

With the help of her shadowy Friend, the ThunderClan leader slunk through the decaying undergrowth undetectable, following Hawkstripe and Rockpaw.

"I don't remember much about my mother," Rockpaw was saying. "Just the disgusting smell of her blood. Any other kind of memory would be welcome."

 _Oh._ The voice said. _Is he going to tell him?_

Ciderstar was silent to it.

"Well, I doubt this would be welcome..."

 _He's going to tell him._

"Well, you can't mention it then tell me to forget about it."

"No, I guess not."

A very large silence overcame the two.

 _And what of death?_ The voice asked, but it was clearly talking to itself.

"Death is an interesting concept, don't you think?"

"I guess."

"And murder? Who decides whether it's good or bad? What if they had been looking for their end alreay and threw themselves into the claws of death? Is it bad, then? Is the murderer really a murderer? Or was it the fault of the 'victim'-suicide?"

"I think it's kind of obvious."

 _Ooh, he's a liar too,_ The voice giggled.

It really is quite confusing, Ciderstar thought. The Voice's moods fluctuate with a consistent inconsistency, and sometimes it'll say the weirdest things...

 _And your guilt?_ The voice said softly.

He's going to tell him, Ciderstar thought.

"Perhaps so," Hawkstripe told Rockpaw. "Depends on the perspective, I guess."

"Yeah. I guess."

And they said nothing more.

And it became clear that they were going to say nothing more, so Ciderstar decided to do other, better things with her time.

Cats have claws for a reason, after all.


	5. Chapter 4:: An Old Vendetta

_"Somewhere life is good, and things go as they should."_

 _-Unbound (The Wild Ride), Avenged Sevenfold_

Chapter 4:: An Old Vendetta

The riverflow was calm and balanced, even if it was cold to the touch when Rockpaw bent to take a drink. Hawkstripe did the same, his narrowed eyes fixed on the rippling water.

Then he glanced up, across the water, and his fur bristled in alarm. Rockpaw followed his gaze and was immediately on his guard as well.

A patrol of four cats were on the RiverClan border. And while they weren't exactly staring at Hawkstripe and Rockpaw, they weren't just carrying on either.

This was not the first time Rockpaw had seen cats from another Clan. Across the WindClan border, he'd seen faint shadows in the distance, running faster than he thought he would ever be able to.

ShadowClan was a different matter altogether. They made no effort to keep themselves hidden, especially if they recognized Hawkstripe on the other side of the ThunderPath. Once on a quiet morning, a ShadowClan warrior actually halfway crossed the black path to taunt him.

He was obviously crazy, and his bold move made Hawkstripe, Redwing, Cedarnose, and Rockpaw all stop and see what exactly he wanted to say.

"Hey, Hawkstripe," he'd called.

"Wolfclaw," Hawkstripe greeted, dipping his head. "Beautiful morning."

Wolfclaw shrugged. "It can only get better from here, as a wise warrior once said."

"It'll get better once you get run over."

"If you say so." And Hawktripe began to move on, and the rest of the patrol began to  
follow him.

"Wait, Hawkstripe!" Wolfclaw padded along the line in the middle of the ThunderPath but didn't dare cross it. Perhaps it occured to him that the ThuderPath was territory split between the two clans, but really this was probably the first time the issue ever came up.

"Yes?" Hawkstripe stopped and turned. Rockpaw nearly ran into him, and he realized how close he'd been staying to Hawkstripe since Wolfclaw made himself known.

"This your new apprentice?" Wolfclaw looked down at Rockpaw.

"Yes he is."

Wolfclaw smiled. "Good luck with that, brother."

And he scampered back onto his own land.

However, this was the first time Rockpaw had seen RiverClan cats, and considering how determined RiverClan was to take the SunningRocks, it definitely wouldn't be the last.

Rockpaw looked curiously across the river, at the cats. There were three warriors and one apprentice, by the size of them. He and Rockpaw were walking parallel to them along the shore.

"That's Doepaw, Kestrelpaw, Beetle'eye, and Silverfawn," Hawkstripe said, nut then reconsidered. "Although Doepaw is probably a warrior by now.

"Look at the head of the patrol." Rockpaw did. "That's Silverfawn. They called her Silver because her eyes were blind, and it's assumable that she was meant to be called Silvereyes or something similar to that, and that she was supposed to be a medicine cat. But she became a warrior apprentice, and she's made her living well enough, I think. Beat me plenty times before." He said the last part with a bit of embarrassment, looking down at his paws, and Rockpaw could see that he was fond of Silverfawn.

"The one closest to us is Beetle'eye, next to him is Kestrelpaw, and at the rear is Doepaw."

Rockpaw nodded. He saw that Beetle'eye was speaking into Silverfawn's ear, and Silverfawn nodded to him and turned her head to Hawkstripe.

"Hell of a day, isn't it, Hawkstripe?" she called.

"Yes it is, Silverfawn. I do imagine the river will freeze soon," Hawkstripe said.

"StarClan help us all." She then conferred with Beetle'eye again. "And who do you have with you?"

"This is Rockpaw, my apprentice," he said rather testily.

"Your apprentice?" She paused and Hawkstripe tensed defensively. "Well, best of luck, Hawkstripe. Good fortune."

"Good fortune." Hawkstripe dipped his head in farewell. He said to Rockpaw, quieter: "Stuck-up asses, the whole of RiverClan."

Rockpaw was beginning to see that.

"Come, I promised that you could eat." And he retreated back into the forest.

Rockpaw hesitated and looked over the river once more to see the patrol. Silverfawn had turned back to her own way, but Beetle'eye was still looking over at Rockpaw. Their eyes met, and, although there wasn't anything particularly malicious about his gaze, Rockpaw felt frozen in place until Hawkstripe snapped at him from the trees, and he scampered off.

 _(POV: Whitepaw)_

Whitepaw's legs were tired and her claws hurt. She'd been travelling to the Moonstone since sunset; she and Stonewhisker had met the other medicine cats at Fourtrees.

There was Cedarweb in ShadowClan, a former warrior and it shone through. If she was a little intense, ultimately she was friendly and thoughtful. Her eyes were a sharp yellow and her fur was a russet brown. She had no apprentice with her. She was rather young, so Whitepaw didn't imagine there was any kind of hurry.

From RiverClan there were Mousewhisker and Fallpaw. Mousewhisker was an old cat with green eyes and a prickly attitude, and Fallpaw was a good-tempered brown tom with orange eyes. The two of them were constantly bickering, but it was good-natured bickering in the end, and Whitepaw enjoyed their company.

And Sorrelspot and Digger were from WindClan. Digger was not Clanborn and he didn't pretend to be. He was just a little older than Whitepaw and just a little smaller than Stonewhisker, walking next to him. He was a handsome white and cream calico. With a good-tempered manner he basically talked shit about his clanmates in WindClan (excluding Sorrelspot, of course), and he told Whitepaw a lot about where he was from (a place not far from the Clans, were he lived alongside twolegs) with no shame and just a little bit of wistfulness.

After a little bit of walking, Mousewhisker pulled Stonewhisker aside to the right and they spoke in low, serious tones. Digger, Whitepaw, and Fallpaw all spoke to each other, mostly complaining about the long walk. Sorrelspot, an elegant, lean, shorthaired white tom with ginger patches and a long tail, was chatting with Cedarweb, something inconsequential concerning marigold leaves and kits.

"Do you know about Dustspike from my clan?" Digger asked Whitepaw.

"Yeah, I've heard about him," she answered.

"What have you heard?"

Fallpaw answered: "He's one of the best warriors ever! I saw him fighting once, in a battle between Windclan and RiverClan. It was hard not to root for him."

"Yes, he does have a way of carrying himself, doesn't he?" Digger smiled lightly.

Whitepaw was surprised at how the two toms could talk about battle so freely. She thought the subject of battle between these, relatively peaceful, cats would be strict taboo.

"You've seen battle?" she asked Fallpaw.

"Yes. Last moon." Fallpaw was obviously enthusiastic about the topic. "I can't quite remember what the problem was, though you'd think I would. RiverClan and WindClan don't usually come into conflict; why would we? Anyways, Dustspike completely _annihilated_ our patrol, in every sense except that he didn't kill anybody."

"He's cleverer than a fox," Digger added excitedly. "Quicker than a hawk. One moment, he's three foxlengths in front you." He accented his words with dramatic flicks of his tail. "Blink, and he's three tail-lengths behind you, and you're flat on the ground without a damn clue what happened.

"But-every warrior has a weakness, and everybody knows his. He's not as strong as the others. I mean, he isn't weak. He has the muscle, but if put to a test of pure strength against him and... let's say, Muddyeye of ShadowClan, he would lose."

Fallpaw asked, "But he's not as quick as Viperswipe, is he?"

Whitepaw shuddered at hearing the name Viperswipe. The most lethal warrior. Very bloodthirsty. He had a battle move he loved to use, one that left the opponent paralyzed for just a few seconds, but a few seconds was all he needed to land the killing blow.

Digger shrugged. "I've never seen him fight. Have you?"

Fallpaw shook his head in the negative.

There was a moment of silence in which Whitepaw contemplated the effectiveness of a single deathberry. She shuddered again, as she imagined the effects of poison that Stonewhisker described to her.

"Cold, isn't it?" Digger noticed her shivering. He looked to the black sky and the chrystalline stars. "But at least the sky is clear."

...

This ThunderPath was like nothing Whitepaw had ever seen before. She'd seen the one at the ShadowClan border, of course, but it wasn't nearly as busy as this one. Cowering in the bushes, Whitepaw was starting to rethink her decision to become a medicine cat even more than she already was. This has to be the most undignified way to die. Squashed flat by a thoughtless monster while it was in the process of digesting some poor twoleg victim.

Sorrelspot and Cedarweb ran across first, acting confident even though Whitepaw cold smell their fear. Then Fallpaw and Mousewhisker, Fallpaw trying his hardest to match Mousewhisker's slower pace and not streak across the path.

Digger was to go with Whitepaw. They crouched next to the ThunderPath, tails swishing and eyes narrowed.

"Whatever happens," Digger said softly, "do _not_ lose your nerve."

There was a pause in the traffic.

"Go!" Digger scampered across the black surface. Whitepaw was half a second behind him, running as fast as her legs could possibly move. When the ground shook as a warning of an approaching monster, Digger ran faster but Whitepaw couldn't.

And then she was on the other side, panting heavily next to Digger, trying to recover her breath and her sanity from the traumatic experience.

"Job well done, sister," Digger said in between gasps.

Stonewhisker crossed by himself and they continued.

...

During sunset the stones were warm, but became increasingly cold as they were separated from the presence of the sun.

Whitepaw walked close to Stonewhisker, her tail tip flicking nervously. Shadows were seeping out from underneath the stones, and, try as she might to avoid them, they were getting closer, and closer, reaching out to her...

And then Mothermouth swallowed them whole.

Whitepaw felt like she was travelling down the gullet of a huge and merciless monster, although that was completely irrational. She'd never seen the inside of a body before, but it more than probably looked very different from this. She stayed very close to Stonewhisker, in front of her, and felt the breath of Digger behind her.

They delved deeper into the deep tunnels and Whitepaw felt certain everyone there could smell her fear. But, well, she was sure it couldn't be just her fear-stench in the air. The walls around her were cold, and she knew that if she got lost in this complex, she would never be found.

When she sensed that they had entered a much larger, emptier, cavern in the stone, it only made the claustrophobia worse and she stayed close to Stonewhisker and sat in the unmoving dark.

"Wait for it," Digger whispered in her ear.

Then her eyes, which had grown accustomed to the pressing shadows even if she herself hadn't, were attacked with a blinding light. That's how she felt, attacked. It's dangerous to become affiliated with the Shadows...

When Whitepaw's sight returned, she saw a large, smooth rock glowing and lighting the whole cavern. She sucked in a breath and stared in helpless awe. Stonewhisker gently nudged her forward and she was complacent. The medicine cats touched their noses to the stone and Stonewhisker signaled for her to do the same. She remembered what Stonewhisker had said, that she is to touch her nose to the stone, and ideally, StarClan speaks to you.

And so she did, and while the peacefulness of the other cats' sleep suggested that they dreamed of StarClan, Whitepaw dreamed of hell, and when she woke the scent of smoke lingered in her nostrils.

She was in an abandoned forest. It was more than abandoned; it was burned out. If she touched some of these disintegrated trees with her whiskers, she had no doubt they would collapse into a heap of ash.

She took a tentative step forward and crippled grey foliage disintegrated under her paw. She heard a very quiet snicker and looked around in a panic.

There were Things, that she hadn't seen before. They fled as her eyes landed on them, streaking into shadows that became indiscernible from reality. Is this even reality? _Where am I?_

"Kitty ran took a wrong turn. Kitty tried to make its way to heaven. Lost, are ya? Silly kitty..."

Whitepaw backed slowly away from approximately where the voice was coming from. What the hell is this? Where the _fuck_ is this?

She sensed something behind her and swiveled around, hissing in self-defense. In front of her stood a grey and black tabby tom, crisp-eyed and intimidating. He was big, powerful. Those claws could do real damage, especially to one as small as Whitepaw. She found it unsettling to look into his eyes, but once she did, she couldn't look away.

He bent and she wanted to flinch away but didn't.

He whispered something in her ear, something in a dead tongue that only a select few still speak. Whitepaw was not one of those chosen few, and so she was none the wiser as to why she ever made it out of that place.

When she woke, the cavern was dark and silent.

"Whitepaw?" Digger's voice. Apparently his dreams do not last long either.

"Yes?" She answered, tiredly.

"How was it?"

She hesitated.

"It was... interesting," she replied finally. "Very interesting."

 _Yes, very interesting indeed._ This voice, even though it was in her mind, it wasn't hers. But she accepted it anyway, acknowledged it, and it didn't speak again.

 _(POV: Ciderstar)_

Ciderstar lay shivering in her den, deathly cold and hellishly hot at the same time. She was weeping, and laughing, and dreaming nightmares.

 _It's okay_ , the Voice soothed. _It'll be over soon, don't worry._

 _I promise._

 _I just need the kit..._

"Which one?"

 _Oh, the strong one. The smart one. Ideal for..._

"For what?"

 _No, you don't need to be worried about that. You just need to sleep. And stay alive, for as long as posible._

 _It will all be over soon._

 _(POV: Dominique, the Tyrant)_

Dominique tried his best not to limp. He'd twisted his claw a ways back, and he didn't want anyone to notice.

But Waleri, she notices everything. The good, the bad (especially the bad). And Salerino always walked close enough to Dominique that he noticed, too, so it seemed that the only one in the dark about it was Reid.

Poor, ignorant Reid. He's competent enough and reliable in battle, but he's not good at reading cats. He's too naive. If a cat was acting passively agressive towards him, he would have no clue unless teeth were bared and claws became unsheathed. Like what happened with Loreley, but Loreley was the last thing Dominique should be thinking about at the moment.

So instead, he focused on the journey ahead. The travelling wouldn't take long. Daylight couldn't come fast enough, he thought, so he could finally get some rest and nurse his twisted claw.

They would have to cross through WindClan territory; it was the fastest way to ThunderClan, if not the most subtle. They would wait until the full moon, which wasn't too far off, and go while the Clans gathered and the land was unguarded for the most part.

"Why are you going back to ThunderClan?" Waleri had asked when Dominique first announced his intentions.

"To see my kits and my wife," he had answered. 'Wife' was the term that cats used where Waleri and Salerino were from. 'Mate' was considered vulgar.

"Your wife, who forsook you. Your kits, who have never seen you before." Waleri scoffed.

"No, I have never seen them before. But I need to. For all I know, Hawkstripe has brought them up as their father. I always knew that bastard would come in between me and Leaftail."

"Dominique!" Oh yes, he'd forgotten. 'Bastard' was one of the many curses Waleri didn't tolerate. A bit traditional, that one.

"I mean, insufferable individual," he amended. "Sorry."

"Hmph."

Salerino understood. Salerino knew Dominique better than anyone else ever did. Salerino knew what he was going through because he'd gone through it before. Or... close enough. He stood by Dominique, as close a brother as anyone bound by blood, loyal and unquestioning.

And Reid? All Reid wanted was a compainion, or, many compainions to have his back. Salerino and Dominique had convinced Waleri to accept him as a fourth to their three, careful not to suggest that he would be a worthy replacement for Loreley.

And so the four of them journeyed south, to the Clans. To Hawkstripe, and revenge. To Leaftail, and freedom from the guilt that he was carrying around for the past dozen moons. He didn't even know his own kits' names, except that by now they most likely ended in 'paw.' He didn't even know if it was "kits" plural or "kit" singular.

No worries. He would find out soon. He would erase the past, replace it with something new.

Something... _fun_.


	6. Chapter 5:: Old Friends

**One. Single. Follower.**

 **Holy heck, my friend(s).**

 **Also, Jaune is French for yellow, that's why his name is Jaunestar.**

* * *

 _"Let the warning said leave a shudder upon you. Running from all that you've feared in your life."_

 _-Hell_ , Disturbed

Chapter 5:: Old Friends

Weststar prowled the forest of StarClan. He passed the sounds and scent of fat prey, not particularly caring. He'd never understood why he was expected to eat, anyway. He was dead.

He came to the place where Red Ash made his home. It was a hollowed out tree stump covered in very overgrown moss, tangled vines, and healthy dark green leaves.

"Red Ash. I need to talk to you," Weststar called.

"And of course, Weststar, I _always_ answer to your call," came the reply from inside, the words slathered with sarcasm. "But you'll have to excuse me this one time."

"Red Ash!" Weststar's tail flicked in agitation. "This is important."

"Of course it is," Red Ash called. "If the great, independent _Weststar_ is calling for me, specifically."

"You know what this is about, Red Ash. I need to speak to you."

"So you've said, dear West. But, maybe have you considered that what you have in mind for a conversational topic is the reason that I'd rather not leave the safety of my own den?"

"Fuck your den, Red Ash. Given enough time, you know I can bring down your shield."

"No, I don't, and I don't want to test that theory, thank you very much."

"Red Ash!"

"What?!"

Weststar was silent. Red Ash was silent. The immediate forest around them was silent.

Then Red Ash crawled out of his den. The air around his den shimmered as he passed through his defensive shield.

Red Ash was old. Not in physical appearance, though. He seemed to be rather young when he died, and handsome, but he has been dead for a very, very long time. His energy was getting to be lower and lower, and Weststar wondered how much longer he could keep his precious shield up. How long he could even keep himself 'alive.'

"Yes?" He sat among the leaves and grasses on the ground, rather defeated.

"Trickpaw and The Jester. _Explain_." Weststar also settled down on the ground. He wasn't much older than Red Ash when he died. He was made leader much younger than was probably ideal, and therefore died much younger than most leaders did.

"Well," Red Ash said uncomfortably, "that's a lot less complicated than it seems."

"Then you will have no trouble explaining it to me."

"Well... Perhaps it is a bit complicated. Oh, did you hear that Dominique is coming back to the Clans now?"

" _Dominique_? I didn't think he'd ever come back after throwing in with those savages. He's not... bringing any of them with him, is he?"

"Yes. Two of them, called Waleri and Salerino. And a loner named Reid."

"Disgusting," Weststar spat, and Red Ash solemnly nodded. "But why does The Tyrant have to do with any of this? That prophecy is spent and gone."

"Well, that's the complicated thing, really..."

Weststar bared his teeth and Red Ash flinched back, taking a very small, very subtle step back towards his den, and relative safety.

"Why the _hell_ would you do something like this, Red Ash?"

"Look, Weststar, it wasn't just me! It was Giri, too!"

"Well, then, she can burn too, as soon as I'm finished with you! You know it's treason, what you've done! This is worse than anything you've done before! And you rose Ju'uszwik from the dead! Which led to all sorts of fucking savage fanatics! Remember what happened then? How you were punished?"

Red Ash nodded feebly. It was true, he was somewhat of a troublemaker, and he had always received punishments that, as nasty as they were, were slightly less than suitable. He could never keep himself from mischief. And what he'd done this time...

He would be banished for sure. Very, very permenatly.

"As of now," Weststar said, calmer this time, "no one besides me knows of your involvement in this. And if you help me, I can do my best to make sure it stays that way. Okay?"

"Sure, I'll help you. But why would you help me?"

"Shut up and take the deal, Red Ash, if you want to keep your ass on your hide, okay?"

"O-okay. Deal."

"Grand."

 _(POV: ThunderClan)_

Ciderstar leaped gracefully onto the HighRock and suddenly everyone was at attention. No words spoken, no commands given. Not aloud anyway.

Her back was straight, and her eyes were sharp. Her gaze scorched the clearing and when she spoke, all the cats were compelled to _listen_.

"My friends," she spoke, loud and clear, "as you all have most likely figured out by now. Leafbare is fast approaching. As of right now, prey is plentiful, but soon that will change. I have a very keen feeling that this will be a most... interesting Leafbare." She chuckled lightly then continued. "WindClan has their tunnels; they will not bother us much. ShadowClan is accustomed to the cold and knows how to cope. But RiverClan? They recently lost their leader, Weststar. Kinkstar has very different ideals than Weststar did. He will invade us. He will try to root us out.

"But..." Her voice regained its low sulkiness, which it had had since the night the Parasite latched onto the Host. "They cannot possibly succeed. We... we will not let them succeed." She trailed off and her eyes lost their sharpness. Then she spoke again. "West- Kink-star, he, um, he...

"When the river freezes over, it will be ten times harder for RiverClan to fish. If and when they come after us, we will retaliate, and hit them twice as hard as they hit us. They will be starving, all but defenseless. That will be our chance. Then we will claim the glory that is due to us."

 _The glory that is due to us..._

 _(POV: Digger)_

Digger dreamed about her when he slept.

Her soul has something dark in it, something... twisted, something malicious, sharing her being.

Her eyes, they aren't normal. Her voice, there's a second echo to it, beneath the skin.

Wait, doesn't he recognize that voice?

Oh hell, who was stupid enough to resurrect _that_?

 _(POV: Weststar)_

"Red Ash?"

Sky That Cries At Night looked up and tensed in a way that was hardly noticable.

"Sky!" Red Ash exclaimed happily.

"Night." Weststar dipped his head in formal greeting.

"Hello," Sky That Cries At Night said dryly. "Were you looking for Giri? She just left. For Judas', I think."

"No," Weststar said truthfully.

"No," Red Ash lied.

"Then how can I help you?"

"Well," Weststar said, "that may be a little complicated."

 _(POV: ShadowClan)_

Viperswipe didn't consider himself a killer. _Killer_ is such a horrible, stereotypical word. When someone calls somebody else a killer, an idea is put into their head before they've even met them: a cold, psychopathic little shit. It was true that sometimes Viperswipe couldn't restrain himself from his killing blow. It was even true, to a certain extent, that he liked to kill, but he wasn't a _killer_.

He ate alone most nights, and slept alone every night. He liked to think that he had friends, certain cats that would tolerate his incessant chatter, but at the end of the day when cats shared tongues and confessed their love to each other, there was no one who sought him out specifically.

Until very recently, at least.

Scarlet was a very odd cat. She looked at everybody strangely, and everybody looked strangely at her. Her meals were brought to her by an apprehensive apprentice, and often water was brought to her by another apprentice using soaked moss. Viperwipe personally thought that if she would only stop thinking of herself as an outsider, then other cats would too. As it was, there were cats who would never accept Scarlet into the clan, and she would never accept them.

When she had her kits, she was given the choice to either take her kits and leave, leave the kits with ShadowClan, or stay and be part of ShadowClan with the kits. She decided to become part of the Clan. However, she was quite dismayed when she learned that she had to give the kits clan names. They were named Waterkit, Wolfkit, and Violetkit.

The second of her kits, Wolfkit, was the one that accepted Viperswipe as family and paid him any mind. He always followed him around and spoke with him more than he played with his siblings. Scarlet did not disapprove of this. Others did, but their voice in the matter weren't counted.

Jaunestar took a notice in their bond, and some amusement. He watched Viperswipe playfight with the kit, and was slightly alarmed when he taught him his favorite move, something most unorthodox.

It was odd, he thought, how a kit could form such a bond with someone he wasn't related to at all, while Jaunestar had never had anything remotely close to that with his son. He was kind of jealous, really.

Maybe he's been trying too hard. He loved his son, Trickpaw, but it was obvious that, after a while of coming second after Jaunestar's duties as leader, Trickpaw had started to push his father away. Maybe he was enforcing Trickpaw's love too much. If only his mother hadn't died, maybe things could be different.

But why so many maybes? Maybe if Jaunestar hadn't killed Weststar, then Cloudstar would still be alive and had had the time to rethink his desicion of making poor, ambitious, Jaunefur deputy of ShadowClan. Perhaps then, Nightclaw would still be alive, and Jaunestar, Trickpaw and her would have been a normal, supportive, healthy family. But as it was now, sometimes Trickpaw wished he was dead, and Jaunestar could see it.

Sometimes he wanted to die, too, if only to see Nightclaw again.

 _(POV: Red Ash)_

Sky That Cries At Night looked down at the mouse she had long since gave up on eating.

"Dom-Dominique is coming back?" She stammered.

Weststar nodded.

"And which one of you were stupid enough to let this happen?"

Weststar looked pointedly at Red Ash as Red Ash looked down at his own paws.

Sky That Cries At Night sighed. "Of course, I should have known. About Jaunestar, that was hardly your fault. There was only one way his life was going to go. But Trickpaw? He doesn't deserve the burden you've put on his shoulders."

"In my defense, I didn't actually know that It would go after him," Red Ash said quickly.

"But you knew It would go after someone, and that that someone had to be vulnerable."

"Using that logic, it could very well have been Viperswipe or Hawkstripe, who definitely deserve it."

"No, Red Ash, stop it." Sky That Cries At Night sighed again and shook her head. "What have you done this time?" She said softly.

Red Ash said nothing.

"The reason I came to you, specifically, Night," Weststar filled the silence, "was because I know you are skilled in... certain ways. I need to ask you a favor."

"A favor," Sky That Cries At Night scoffed. "For you? Who the hell do you think I am? What the fuck do I owe you?"

"Nothing. But I need your help and I couldn't bring this to anyone else."

"What do you need?"

"Your support."

"In what?"

"Well, no doubt Riverstar and the rest of them will hear about this. I know that Thunderstar will be especially piss-er, displeased. A young kit, ignored and disowned by his father?"

Red Ash flinched.

"They'll want to punish Red Ash," he continued. "Again. They'll forbid him from using magic. Again."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Red Ash is a good friend of mine-"

"Good friend?" Red Ash asked.

"-and until recently, he was a good friend of yours too."

"Yeah, until recently."

Weststar sighed. "Forgive and forget, Night. We can't spend all of eternity mad at each other over such trivial things."

"Wrong," Red Ash said quickly. "Fuck, I'm still mad at Little Snake for kicking my ass during apprenticeship over a hundred years ago."

"Oh, well, I'm sorry about that," Sky That Cries At Night said.

"It's really okay though, because I got him back in during the Eastern War. Son of a bitch got what was coming to him."

Night looked like she was about to say something, but Weststar cut her off.

"Getting back to the point, Night, we both know that Red Ash deserves what he'd get if they found out."

"Damn right he does."

"But wouldn't we need his help, defeating this Thing? Nobody knows as much about reality manipulation as he does, besides Thorny Ass hiding somewhere in the East."

"You're still calling him Thorny Ass?" Night laughed.

"You're completely missing my point, again."

"No no, I see your point. Save Red Ash so he can save us. Clean up his own mess for once."

"Yes, exactly."

"That does make sense," Night said, and then was silent for a moment. "However, I'm going to have to decline."

"What?"

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone anything you've just shared with me. In the case that you actually succeed in your plan, I applaud you. If you both get sent to Hell, I will definitely not mourn your loss. Now, is there anything else I can do for you?"

Weststar sighed angrily. "No. But, Night-"

"Good. I'll see you."

Weststar stayed and met her gaze for a few seconds, but her fire won out in the end and he stalked off. Red Ash was about to follow him, but was stopped.

"Red Ash," Sky That Cries At Night said.

"Yes?" He turned.

"Giri wanted me to tell you something, if I saw you."

"Yes?"

"She said to stay away from her. She says you betrayed her and left her for dead." She paused, and then her voice seemed less hostile. "You know, Red Ash, that I've always valued our friendship. And honestly I could care less about who stole whoever's rabbit, or if you decided to all of the sudden fall in love with _my_ mate. But I do care about Trickpaw, a poor kit who only ever wanted to be acknowledged by his father, being used the way you used him. And please don't try to bullshit me, because you knew who would suffer from your latest prank. I don't care about all the other shit you pulled, and was punished for. Your little fiasco with Grey Wing? Killing Turtle Tail like that? That was low, and you know it, and I know it, but I forgave you after some time when I found out about it. It happened so far in the past, before I was even born, and I acknowledged that you are different now.

"I wish I could forgive you this time, Red Ash, and I probably would, but for what you did to Giri, a cat I consider my sister. If that's he only reason you burn, it's reason enough for me."

" _You_ consider her sister?" Red Ash asked in disbelief. "You? How long have you known her? It may seem like a long time, but compared to me, it's none at all. We stood by each other since the moment we were _born_. I have literally known her forever. She's _my_ sister."

"And yet, you still fucked her over."

Red Ash was silent.

"This isn't a game, Red Ash."

"It was never _a game_ , Night."

"Then what the _hell_ is wrong with you?"

He had no answer.

Night narrowed her eyes at him. "Get the fuck away from me, you sick bastard."

Red Ash met her angry gaze, and was frightened by it. He turned and ran into the forest.

After he was gone, Giri padded lightly out from behind a tree and sat down next to Night.

"There were better ways that could have gone, Sky," she said.

"Not really," Night retorted.

"He's right, you know. I've known him much, much longer than I've known you."

"Then I'm right, too. If you really have known each other for _so long_ , if you have _such_ a strong bond, then why did he betray you?"

Giri was silent.

"Exactly."

Giri took a breath. "Do you remember Cinderleaf?"

Night thought for a moment. "That's the one from ShadowClan, right? The medicine cat?"

Giri nodded.

"Why?"

"Do you remember that Red Ash... loved him?"

"Yeah, he was always around him. He had a crush on a lot of cats, really. I remember he always got into trouble sometimes, being a male cat, and loving... male cats."

"This was more than a crush though. He loved him. And then, eventually, Cinderleaf loved him too."

"But Cinderleaf died, didn't he?"

"Yes, he died. One could say... that it was murder. One could even say that it was all Red Ash's fault."

"All you're doing is proving my point, Giri," Night said.

"And what is your point again?"

Night hesitated, because she hated putting Red Ash down like this, especially in front of Giri.

"He can't keep those he loves, Giri," she said. "One way or another, he's _always_ loses them. You included, me included."

Giri scoffed but said nothing.

Finally, she spoke: "I don't know about you, but I am going to help him, Sky. I'm going to help him, not only because I love him, but because it is the right thing to do, to help those poor sons of bitches down there who are still alive. Cats like Trickpaw, and Rockpaw, Stonewhisker, Saohei, and Hawkstripe."

"Hawkstripe? Since when does he deserve any kind of _help_?"

Giri sighed and smiled. "Some deserve a second chance for redemption, just the same as some don't."

"And let me guess, Red Ash is one of the ones who do?"

Giri was silent.

 _(POV: Digger)_

Digger silently backed away from Giri and Sky's conversation.

 _Red Ash?_ He wondered. _Why have I never heard of him?_

The way they talked about him, he seemed to be a large part of StarClan. Old cats were usually well-known. While Digger considered himself to be sort of an expert on the dead, it was true that he wasn't privy to a lot of their secrets.

Red Ash. That was an old name. From before the clans. And he knew how to manipulate reality?

Later, he would ask around, and see who could tell him about Red Ash. But for now, he headed home. There was a battle about to happen, Brownpaw had just told him.

* * *

 **Sorry for the sucky chapter. Though, honestly, what else is new?**

 **Anyways, reviews, good or bad, are always appreciated!**


	7. Chapter 6:: Friends In Low Places

_"The cold winds are rising, and the dead rise with them."_

 _-Game of Thrones_

Chapter 6:: Friends In Low Places

Rockpaw coughed as he attempted to rise back onto his paws. Hawkstripe stood over him.

"Get up, Rockpaw," he said softly. "You're gonna let yourself get beat by a she-cat?

"She's a warrior, Hawkstripe," the apprentice complained. "I'm barely two moons into apprenticeship."

"Well, she's better than you and quicker than you, but you're not entirely at a disadvantage."

"How the hell am I not at a disadvantage?"

"Look, Rockpaw, just remember what I taught you," Hawkstripe said, and backed off so Rockpaw and Tigerwhisker could continue their mockfight.

"Very helpful," Rockpaw muttered under his breath, and got back into his fighting stance.

Tigerwhisker crouched low, and Rockpaw saw her muscles tense as she prepared to leap. Her eyes were fixed on his, and he panicked a little bit, because he couldn't figure out where she was aiming and he was totally unprepared to take another blow.

She leapt, and Rockpaw ducked instinctively. She jumped over him, but regained her balance quickly as she hit the ground.

Rockpaw noticed Hawkstripe shaking his head in disappointment.

"Hold on, Tigerwhisker," he said.

"Of course," the warrior said, and relaxed her posture.

Hawkstripe stepped forward, next to Rockpaw.

"Rockpaw, what's the matter with you?" He asked.

"What gives you the idea that something's wrong with me?"

Hawkstripe sighed and looked around the sandy hollow in contemplation.

"Yesterday, you kicked Barkpaw's ass and mine, though honestly, I let you win."

"Well, thanks for that." Rockpaw gave his mentor a fake smile.

Hawkstripe flicked his tail. "My point is that you're not doing your best."

"You know, Hawkstripe, a lot of the things you've taught me are not particularly honorable, and while I will be sure to remember them in the event of a real battle, I don't really want to use them on a fellow clanmate. Especially someone like Tigerwhisker, someone who I respect."

"What, and you don't respect me?" Hawkstripe asked, a little wounded.

Rockpaw sighed and rolled his eyes.

A small silence passed between them.

"Fine, then you don't want to use... unorthodox methods on a fellow clanmate. I don't see how you can effectively practice them if you're only practicing on half-wit apprentices, and, well, me, but then use the other move set I taught you. Those are... pretty orthodox, I'd say."

"Yeah, sure. I'll use the most common, most predictable moves ever made."

"There's no need to be a smart ass," Hawkstripe said.

"Wow." He laughed fakely. "That's funny, coming from you."

"Okay, then. Just keep getting your ass beat by her, when meanwhile this fight could be going in a completely different direction."

"Holy hell, _fine_." Rockpaw turned and took a few steps forward. Hawkstripe backed away, to the side of the hollow.

"Are we good?" Tigerwhisker asked.

Rockpaw and Hawkstripe both nodded.

"Good." She got into stance. Rockpaw did too, but a different one than he'd been using today. Tigerwhisker adjusted hers accordingly.

She leapt; this time it was clear that she was aiming for his paws. Rockpaw dodged to the left quickly, and hit her back leg from under her as she was recovering. She fell to the ground again.

"Cute little move," she said. "If this was a real battle, you'd have the perfect opportunity to finish me off." She got to her paws and looked at the sky. "It's going to snow again. I need to get going, gotta go help Greytail with his hunting."

Hawkstripe nodded. "Thank you for helping us."

"No problem. I'll see you around. Good job, Rockpaw."

"Thanks."

Tigerwhisker nodded and left.

Hawkstripe looked at Rockpaw. He looked nothing like his father, and yet, he always reminded Hawkstripe of him in a way that Whitepaw didn't.

"Tigerwhisker's a nice cat," Rockpaw said.

"Yes, she is."

"She's different from you and I."

"Yes, she is."

 _(POV: Dominique)_

Salerino almost ran into Dominique as he stopped walking suddenly.

"What is it?" He asked softly.

"Oh, it's nothing," he replied. "Just a shadow." But he still didn't move.

Salerino came up next to him. He looked around, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"What's going on up there?" Waleri bounded up the small hill behind them, Reid following. She looked around too, but nothing seemed particularly of interest. There was frost on the grass, and the sky was blue, and there was nothing but grass and the occasional bush, as far as she could see.

"I said it's nothing," Dominique said again. "Just a flicker of light." And he continued on, into the seemingly endless grassy plains.

Salerino looked at Waleri in confusion. She shrugged and followed Dominique.

Reid looked at Salerino questioningly. Salerino shook his head slightly, and they both followed Waleri.

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

Rockpaw came back to camp carrying a squirrel and a mouse by their tails. Hawkstripe carried the rabbit that Rockpaw had caught.

It was only sunhigh. Rockpaw dropped his prey on the pile, then he looked up at the sky and sighed. He'd had enough of this day. How much longer did the sun have to be up?

"Hawkstripe!"

Both Rockpaw and Hawkstripe looked over. Asheye was calling to Hawkstripe from the other side of the camp. He came over to them quickly, seeing that Hawkstripe had no intention of wasting the energy to walk over there.

"Hey, Hawkstripe, can you and Rockpaw take over my spot in the sunhigh patrols? I told Stonewhisker I wouldn't mind helping Whitepaw while he attended to his mother."

"Um, of course," Hawkstripe replied, ignoring Rockpaw's glare.

"Thanks. Lightheart is the head of it. She's going to the WindClan border."

"No problem, Asheye. Glad to help."

Asheye nodded and was about to walk away, when he turned back around. "Oh, and Hawkstripe-"

He was interrupted. All three cats froze as a cat's screech broke through the air. A wordless, panicked screech of pain and terror that made all the cats in the clearing stop and look up.

Rockpaw unconsiously took a few steps back, behind Hawkstripe.

At first, the cats who were there the night the Shadows came into ThunderClan instinctively thought that it was Ciderstar screeching again, but then, they realized that the sound was coming from outside of the camp.

Stonewhisker came out of his den, silently. Whitepaw followed.

Ciderstar barely emerged from the shadow of the HighRock, preferring to stay close to hidden.

The sounds of running pawsteps broke the silence, and all the cats tensed.

A cat ran into the camp. It was covered in blood to the point where it took Rockpaw a delayed moment to recognize Redwing.

Stonewhisker by instinct rushed forward to help her, but she shrugged him off, even though she looked close to collapsing.

"What the hell happened, Redwing?" Stonewhisker asked, backing off but not too far.

Ciderstar backed into her den, not that anybody noticed.

"It was ShadowClan, I think," Redwing said in between her gasping breaths. "I don't know. They got Rustclaw. I thought I heard Jaunestar's voice."

Stonewhisker nodded. "And they're coming here?"

"I think it would be safe to assume that."

Cedarclaw stepped forward, and all the cats' eyes turned to him.

"Where were you and Rustclaw, Redwing?"

Redwing looked up at Cedarclaw blankly, as if she was trying to remember. "By the Snakerocks," she finally said.

Cedarclaw nodded and looked over the cats in the camp.

"Gorsethorn, Greytail, Lightheart, Hawkstripe, Rockpaw, and... Swiftsong, you're going to come with me. We're going to go around the eastern side of the Snakerocks. Littleash, Cloudheart, Wasppaw, Silverfall, Snowsting, and Tigerwhisker will go around the western side. Tigerwhisker will lead the patrol. The rest of you, get into some kind of formation and protect the camp."

It took a moment before the cats moved. When they did, it was all oddly simutaneous. Hawkstripe pushed Rockpaw forward while quickly briefing him on ShadowClan warriors.

"The thing you have to remember about ShadowClan is that they train specifically for speed. This might be a good time to recall the moves I taught you."

Rockpaw was too shaken to make a snarky retort.

"Someone you want to watch out for is Viperswipe. He's a dark grey tom, yellow eyes. From what I've seen of him, he really fits into the word 'killer.' Rumor has it, he landed the killing blow that finished Weststar, though nobody really knows. He has no problem with killing an apprentice; he's done it before.

"If Jaunestar is there, you'll likely spot him right away. Trickpaw, too. Those eyes, they're very unique.

"Wolfclaw, you've already met." Rockpaw remembered the clearly insane grey tom that walked along the ThunderPath to speak with Hawkstripe. "He's arrogant, and it shows when he fights. If there's anyone that you're gonna fight, it's him. Also, don't fight against Trickpaw. He's better than he looks. And, Rockpaw, stay near me, okay?"

Rockpaw nodded. He didn't remember a word that Hawkstripe had said, but he was sure he got the gist of it: keep fighting 'till they're dead.

 _(POV: Whitepaw)_

Whitepaw watched Stonewhisker work, not quite sure on what she should do. There was a warrior assigned to keep them protected, Spidereye, and he stayed outside of the den. Spidereye was a good warrior, true, but Whitepaw was worried that one warrior wouldn't be enough against half a clan.

"What are you doing?" Stonewhisker asked without looking up.

Whitepaw shrugged.

"Do something productive, please."

Whitepaw looked around in exasperation.

"Here, sort these." Stonwhisker pushed a large, unorganized pile of herbs towards her. Whitepaw had done this monotonous job too many times before, and she quickly set to work on creating piles.

Ones that are no good to the left, marigold in the middle, yarrow to the right of that, and green leaves all the way to the right. Berries above the marigold.

She came across a deadly bright red berry and halted in her work. She looked at it curiously, and remembered Crowfoot, the elder she and Stonewhisker spoke to on her first day of training. She remembered the morning he was found outside the camp, dead. How Stonewhisker had not only looked mournful, but also a bit guilty. And she'd known, this was another thing she had to carry on her shoulders, another thing she could not share with another soul.

 _It's okay, dear Whitepaw, you can tell me._

Whitepaw froze. She hadn't heard the Voice since the night she went to the Moonstone.

" _Whitepaw_ ," Stonewhisker hissed.

Whitepaw snapped to attention. "Yes."

"Keep working. We don't have time for your daydreaming."

Whitepaw swallowed any kind of retort she could have made, and batted the deathberries to the pile all the way to the left.

 _(POV: Hawkstripe)_

Rockpaw had never been in a real fight before. Hawkstripe was worried about him just as well as he was worried about himself.

He wished that Rockpaw's first taste of battle would have been against the less bloodthirsty. For example, WindClan. Dustspike may be a fierce fighter, but he would never murder an apprentice. Not on purpose, anyway. Firefur might be a problem, though, but not too much, because she was always underfed, as punishment for what she did, all those seasons ago.

Hawkstripe looked back at Rockpaw. He was following closely behind him nervously.

 _Dammit, Cedarclaw_ , he thought.

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

Rockpaw tried not to be too nervous. The patrol had fanned out thinly as they neared the Snakerocks, but not too far. Rockpaw stayed close to Hawkstripe.

There was not much he was afraid of, he liked to think. He'd never seen a dog, but the descriptions were enough to make him at least a little bit fearful. He'd never been poisoned, obviously, or bitten by a snake, but that seemed quite painful. But the stories about ShadowClan? Damn if they weren't enough to make him shitless every time he heard them.

And what Jaunestar did to Swan's Night? That made him the most scared. Since they were apprentices, Jaunestar had had a sort of a bone to pick with Hawkstripe, for whatever reason, or so the rumours told.

And suddenly a voice came from the trees. "My friends! There you are! I can hear you..."

Rockpaw froze, and so did Hawkstripe.

"Cedarclaw, is that you? I... can hear your breaths." A breathless cackle came from... somewhere.

"And, Rockpaw?"

Rockpaw saw something from the corner of his eye and whipped his head around, but there was nothing, save the trees and frosted fallen leaves.

"Oh, yes i-it _is_ you! I haven't seen you since..." the voice trailed off, and when it spoke again it had taken on a darker tone. "And you. Hawkstripe. What are you doing with my son?"

 _(POV: Whitepaw)_

Whitepaw couldn't breathe. It was hot, and the heat was suffocating her. No, no. It was cold. She was freezing. And it... It _hurt_ like hell.

"Whitepaw?"

Whitepaw fell onto the ground and just kept falling, until it was black. But if she couldn't see anything, that didn't matter, because she could _hear_ them.

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

Rockpaw stopped breathing. _What the hell?_

"Cedarclaw... It _is_ you! I... where have you been? I've been waiting, and you promised me! Cedarclaw?

"Rockpaw, come here. Let me see you."

Rockpaw shook his head and came closer to Hawkstripe.

A sigh came from somewhere. "Okay. If you insist, I'll come to you."

A feline shape came from behind a tree. Rockpaw's eyes were drawn to it immediately.

At first, it seemed to have brown fur, but after a moment, Rockpaw realized that it was so dirty that it only seemed that way.

"Please, Rockpaw, let me see you. You have no idea how hard it is to scratch your way up from six tail-lengths of frozen dirt. Though, I'll admit I had some help. You haven't met him yet. But you will." Its laugh chilled Rockpaw to the bone. "Come on, give your poor mother her due. She's worked so hard to get to you..."

Rockpaw would have turned to run, but his legs refused to move. _I must be fucking dreaming._

She began to step forward, and Rockpaw could easily sense Hawkstripe's fear.

"Are you the one that attacked Redwing?" Rockpaw asked her, mostly unaware that it was himself speaking.

"Um, no." The cat laughed. "That was the ShadowClan cats, who are attacking your camp as we speak. I forget what their agenda is, but damn, they're determined. What they did to Redwing... I can honestly say that it's worse than what Dominique did to me."

"Who?"

"Oh, Dominique. You haven't met him either, but don't worry. You will. And I know that you'll love him! Whitepaw, though... She'll need a bit of coaxing. I can count on you, can't I, Rockpaw? Rockpaw?" She stepped around Hawkstripe and came face-to-face with Rockpaw.

Rockpaw leaned back, away from her. "Go fuck yourself," he said without much confidence.

Her expression didn't change in the slightest, or maybe it was the dirt that was masking her face making seem that way. "I can see how you might think that of me," she said. "But you're mistaken. We only want to help you, Rockpaw. I hope you'll remember that, in the years to come." She suddenly gasped, and Rockpaw jumped, startled. Her body began to shudder, and she turned her head slowly and looked at Hawkstripe menacingly. She spit blood into his face, and he flinched backwards.

She laughed again, into the sky, and it sounded pained. With one final gasping breath, her body crumbled into dust.

 _What the fuck?_ Rockpaw thought, and stared as the dust started to blow away in the wind. _But, what the fuck?_

Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, and he turned around.

There was an unfamiliar cat standing to his far right, dark red and with his eyes outlined in black. He gave Rockpaw an amused smirk, then walked away, behind a tree, and didn't appear again. Rockpaw kept looking at the spot where he disappeared to.

Pawsteps came from his left, and he and Hawkstripe both looked. It was Cedarclaw.

"Was that... her?" The deputy asked.

"Well, it was definitely something," Hawkstripe answered half-sarcastically.

The three of them stood there for a moment, and something came to Rockpaw's mind that should have given him a sense of urgency, but he was still feeling numb.

"She said that ShadowClan was attacking the camp," he said out loud.

Both the other toms looked at him blankly, then understanding came into Cedarclaw's eyes.

"Oh, yes. ShadowClan." He turned in the direction of the camp. Rockpaw did too, and was gratified to learn that his legs were working now.

 _ShadowClan._

 _(POV: Whitepaw)_

The many voices in Whitepaw's head abruptly stopped, and she was thrown into a jarring silence.

She then heard one last voice, the calm, soothing one that she had been hearing all this time. It was neither calm nor soothing now.

 _No, no, not enough!_ It screamed angrily, and then it was forever silent to her.

And she woke.

 _(POV: Justess)_

Everybody always underestimated Justess, and she thought it was hilarious. They passed her off as being just another apprentice incapable of fighting; a fish out of water. They never expected that she is Justess, the legend, the daughter of a psycopathic killer, the greatest warrior of the modern day.

No, she wasn't born in the clans. And she was glad she wasn't. She was glad that she was born in BloodClan, as the daughter of Sholan. She learned how to be brutal, and calculative, and emotionless. And when she left and found ShadowClan, Jaunestar adored her more than her father had. More than anybody had. She was _acknowledged_.

And these ThunderClan scum, they would acknowledge her, too. As their ultimate superior.

Their defenses were weak when they came into the camp. Jaunestar's distraction had worked well. Justess thoroughly enjoyed slicing through them, defending her fellow clanmates as they reclaimed what was theirs. She and Viperswipe fought back to back. They corresponded well with each other in combat, because they both held nothing back. Outside of battle, though, he was rather tiresome.

When Cedarclaw and the rest of his patrol burst into the camp, she could smell their fear, and it was exhilirating.

She attacked the first cat that caught her attention, an apprentice that seemed to be about her age. He was grey-furred and blue-eyed, and obviousy frightened. As soon as she attacked him, he dodged her first attack. He then retaliated with a swipe of his own, which she dodged.

She saw an opening and attacked. The blow hit home and his blood splattered onto the ground. He hissed in pain and annoyance and leaped onto her. She yelped in surprise and they both rolled onto the ground, and eventually the apprentice was on top of her. He swiped his paw, aiming for her throat. She panicked and squirmed under his grasp, but it was no use. As he brought his paw down, she brought her head forward and bit it. When his guard was down, she rolled him over and was about to bite his throat, when someone knocked her over and held her still by a paw on her throat, making it impossible to breathe.

"ShadowClan! We have what we need! Let's go!" Justess recognized Mintwillow's voice. She tried to get up, but the pressure on her throat only increased, and she choked.

God, how embarrasing.

"Wait! Justess!" She heard a call, but her world as beginning to darken. She couldn't recognize the voice. Could have been Viperswipe, could have been Trickpaw.

"Leave it! We'll come back for her!" No, that one was definitely Viperswipe. Great clanmate, he was. Her vision began to darken.

"Hawkstripe! Get off her! She's dying!" The weight was released from Justess's throat suddenly, and she coughed as she got her breath back.

 _Captured like a mouse_ , she thought. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

Rockpaw lay panting on the ground, his own blood pooling around him. The fighting seemed to be over as soon as it began, but even so his wounds felt rather long-term.

Damn, who was that she-cat? What a bitch.

 _(POV: Hawkstripe)_

"Flamekit! They took Flamekit!"

Hawkstripe looked up in alarm. "What?"

Jadeheart ran over to Hawkstripe, but only because he was the one closest to the nursery, and she was desperate and panicked. Jadeheart and Hawkstripe had never gotten along.

"He's gone!" Her voice was hoarse.

"Jadeheart!" Stonewhisker ran to Jadeheart, and then Hawkstripe notice her bloodied body.

"I'm fine, Stonewhisker! That bastard Trickpaw, and his mentor, Muddyeye, are the sons of bitches you all need to be worried about! Another kit, gone from ThunderClan! Gone from me!"

Tigerwhisker came over to her and attempted to comfort her.

Hawkstripe remembered what Rockpaw had said earlier.

 _"Tigerwhisker's a nice cat."_

 _"Yes, she is."_

 _"She's different from you and I."_

 _"Yes, she is."_

Rockpaw looked behind him, where Cedarclaw and Snowsting were questioning the young ShadowClan she-cat. So far she had only disclosed her name, Justess, to them, but not their purpose for stealing a kit.

"We have a hostage," Hawkstripe said. Cedarclaw looked up.

"Yes."

"So do they."

Cedarclaw thought for a second. "Yes." He looked back, to Ciderstar's den. "Excuse me." He made his way over there.

Hawkstripe and Snowsting watched Justess carefully.

"You're in for it, you ThunderClan brats," the little she-cat growled. " _I_ am Jaunestar's favorite; _I_ am his best warrior. He will come for me, and when he does, you better be ready."

"A bit self-confident, aren't you?" Hawkstripe asked her mildly.

Justess bared her teeth and hissed. "Don't _patronize_ me, you peasant. One day you'll see. You'll realize my true power."

"Mm-hmm." Hawkstripe smirked. "I don't doubt it."

He noticed Whitepaw taking care of Rockpaw's wounds; closing them with cobwebs a little too harshly as he inhaled sharply in pain.

 _Damn_ , Hawkstripe thought. _What gives?_

"Him over there," Justess said, gesturing to Rockpaw. "is he your apprentice?"

"Yes." Hawkstripe tensed a little.

"And you're Hawstripe, aren't you?"

"Yes."

Justess smirked. "I've only come to the clans recently, but I heard about Swan's Night."

"You ShadowClan cats," Hawkstripe said, shaking his head. "You'll never get tired of mentioning him."

"You can bet your ass we won't."

Hawkstripe smirked. The self-righteous, they make so many promises, then, somehow, they always fuck themselves up. He already hated his young cat, couldn't wait to see it happen to her.

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

A few days after, Hawkstripe and Rockpaw were in the woods as part of the patrol that was looking for Rustclaw.

Rockpaw had already decided what he was going to ask Hawkstripe, and he struggled to find a way to bring it up.

"Hawkstripe," he said.

"Yes?"

"When... _she_ was here, why... did she hate you so much?"

Hawkstripe was silent. "What's in the past should sometimes stay in the past, Rockpaw."

"Please, Hawkstripe, I want to know."

Silence.

"Look, Hawkstripe, I'm asking you as your friend, not your apprentice. Please, help me understand."

"But are you sure you want to understand?"

Rockpaw nodded.

Hawkstripe sighed. "Did you know... Did you know that I loved your mother?"

"Kind of figured it." Rockpaw shrugged.

"And, she loved me too, at first."

"At first? What happened?"

"Sush!"

Rockpaw obeyed.

"Your father came between us. I don't really remember how, just that everything started to be about _him_. Shatteredgaze. I always thought that was a strange name, by the way. His sight was perfectly fine."

"I don't think it was just about his eyes, literally, and honestly I don't think that you're blunt enough not to notice that," Rockpaw said.

"Yeah, but what do you know?" Hawkstripe muttered, and then continued his story. "Anyways, I was angry that he stole her way from me. I was jealous and I lost my way. But Shatteredgaze was a good friend of mine, and at the time I thought I could do anything for Leaftail. But then my brother died-was murdered." He blinked a few times. "And then Leaftail became pregnant, and I just couldn't pretend anymore, that everything was fine."

"What did you do?"

Hawkstripe smirked at him. "Wouldn't you like to know?"


	8. Chapter 7:: Legitimize

**I finally rewrote his as of 7/15/18 haha... Despite that it's most likely terrible, I still hope you enjoy! Oh, by the way, if you don't know these songs, I totally recommend them. These bands are fucking boss.**

* * *

 _"All I wanted was the blessings made, now I've been labeled a renegade."_

 _-Defy You,_ Disturbed

Chapter 7:: Legitimize

 _The day of the Gathering-_

Dominique and his entourage reached the end of the bare plains, and they all felt much more relaxed to have reached some modicum of cover.

However, the relief turned to alarm as a cat jumped out from behind a bush and hissed bravely at the four. Waleri was quite taken aback, at first startled, and then amused that this one cat felt that he was able to take on four cats, at the same time.

Dominique thought that he recognized him. The white-patterned light brown pelt and green eyes were definitely familiar, but from where?

Waleri was about to say something, but then they heard something behind them and they turned around.

A black tom stalked up behind them. He was familiar, too. Such pale eyes like those aren't exactly common. And that scar?

"Sergei!" Dominique suddenly remembered. He turned. "Nigel!"

The cream-colored tom, tilted his head. He seemed to remember, too. "Shatteredgaze?"

"Yes, it's me. But, uh, it's Dominique now."

Nigel looked at him disbelievingly. " _Dominique_?"

"What? You went from Fallowstar to Nigel. I didn't judge."

Nigel shrugged and relaxed from his hostile stance. "So, who're your friends?"

Sergei relaxed also, and came over beside Nigel.

"Salerino, Waleri, and Reid," Dominique introduced all of them.

Nigel nodded. "Nice to meetcha. I'm Nigel and that's Sergei."

Sergei only nodded.

"So, whatcha doin' here?" Nigel began licking his paw. "No, wait-" he stopped. "Before you speak, let me take you back to my place. I'm sure there's plenty of prey to share."

 _Unlikely_ , Dominique thought. _Seeing that it's leaf-bare._ But he nodded.

Salerino attempted to conversate with Sergei while they walked.

"Hell of a place to live," he said. "I bet it's full of prey in the summer."

Sergei nodded.

"And that's one hell of a scar you got there."

Sergei looked at him in surprise.

"Pretty impressive."

Sergei looked even more surprised, then he smiled and shook his head.

"Don't talk much, do you?"

Sergei looked at him through the corner of his eye and Salerino laughed.

Waleri looked behind herself nervously. She was skeptical of this cat, a former clan cat. Although, her skepticism was more than likely misplaced. She was suspicious by nature.

"I'm surprised you're still here," Dominique said.

"It's a hell of a place, as you said. So, you're going to go see Leaftail and your kits, huh?"

He nodded. "I'm worried, though, about Hawkstripe."

"I still don't know what you have against him. He always seemed like a decent enough cat to me."

Dominique scoffed. "He did seem that way, didn't he?"

"Well, you would know. After all, you did live with him." Nigel decided not to press the subject further.

They reached Nigel's den, a space in between three boulders, walled by thick brambles. It seemed to be impenetrable.

"You did this by yourself?" Dominique asked.

"Well, Jiriska helped," Nigel said, and entered.

It was large enough for all five of the cats to fit easily, and more. It was very similar to a clan camp, which Dominique supposed made sense. Sergei had decided to stay outside, and Salerino seemed rather disappointed.

"So, um, _Dominique_ , what brings you here?" Nigel said as he checked the premises for both intruders and food. "There are easier ways back to the clans."

"Stalling," Dominique said. "I was going to show up during the full moon but then I decided not to."

Nigel nodded. "And where are you coming from?"

Waleri answered. "We are Followers of Ju'uszwik, come from the Sacred Lands."

Dominique gave her a quick look.

Nigel's answer was rather belated. "Oh. So, uh, that explains your new name, I guess."

"I guess."

There was a pause.

"So it seems that I have no prey," Nigel said. "Can I offer you a place to stay for the night?"

"Um, no," Dominique said. "But thanks. We'd best be on our way."

"Yes, perhaps."

They said whatever passed for goodbyes, and left. As soon as they were out of sight, Dominique turned onto Waleri, hissing.

"Why the _hell_ did you do that?"

"What?"

Dominique sighed in annoyance. They still didn't understand. All the hints he'd been dropping and they _still didn't understand_.

He'll never know how Syphrone does it. A former Ju'uszwik fanatic himself, and yet he has all the friends in the world.

"They all think we're savages, Waleri! They _hate_ our religion!"

"W...what?" Waleri looked very taken aback, and confused. Salerino looked the same way. "But why?"

"Hmm, I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you take newborn kits from their mothers and raise them to be 'divine' leaders?"

"N-no need for the _sarcasm_ , Dominique."

Dominique sighed.

"A-and we're doing the kits a _favor_ , we're training them to be of a higher level of divinity that the rest of us. We're only doing what is demanded of us."

"I understand that," Dominique said. "But do you expect the mothers of those kits to understand?"

Waleri was silent. She did expect them to, but didn't want to seem like she was missing the point.

"Forget it," Dominique muttered, and stalked away. The other three had no choice but to follow, after a pause.

 _(POV: Cedarclaw)_

The first thing Cedarclaw had done after the battle was check Leaftail's grave. He knew where it was; he'd helped bury her. And sure enough, the dirt was loose and there was a shallow hole where something had crawled out of and dirt had fallen into.

He stood over it with wide eyes, wondering how in hell it was possible.

Suddenly, he panicked and scampered around the hole, covering it as quickly as he could. After, he stood over it, breathing heavily. No one would ever know. No one besides Cedarclaw, Rockpaw, and Hawkstripe.

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

It was the night of the Gathering, and Rockpaw felt nervous. Wasppaw, Lonepaw, and Barkpaw were going as well, Wasppaw being the only one that had been to a Gathering before. And, of course, it was Whitepaw's first Gathering. But she stayed far away from Rockpaw and conversed with Lonepaw, mostly. Rockpaw thought that maybe he should stay and talk with the other apprentices, that they had been sleeping in the same den for long enough that he should make an effort to try and get to know them, but got bored and decided to wander over to Hawkstripe instead.

The striped warrior was currently chatting with Tigerwhisker about the cats in the other clans. He saw that Rockpaw had approached them.

"Oh, Rockpaw, there you are. I was wondering when you'd get bored of those asses," he greeted.

"Hawkstripe! You shouldn't say such things!" Tigerwhisker said, but she was only half serious.

 _Different than you and I._

"So are you excited, Rockpaw?" Tigerwhisker asked him.

"Not particuarily."

Tigerwhisker snorted humorously. "Damn, you and Hawkstripe act alike."

Cedarclaw came out of the warriors' den and was about to give the signal to leave, but was interrupted.

Ciderstar came out of her den and pushed him aside, looking more presentable than she had in moons. At first, Rockpaw didn't fully recognize her, and was confused. Then he realized who she was, and was confused again. What the hell was she doing, actually _leading_ her clan? What was she up to?

He sliently laughed at his own thoughts. What a pathetic little clan he lived in, that these are the kind of question that arise whenever the leader shows up for the Gathering.

"Let's head out," she called, and left.

A few cats were still confused, and took a second to respond, but Hawkstripe was quick to follow, and so were Tigerwhisker and Rockpaw. Cedarclaw, usually taking her place, seemed rather disappointed.

The idle chatter picked up again as cats started moving.

"Personally, I think Cedarclaw seems to be getting a little too comfortable in pretending to be leader," Rockpaw thought out loud.

"Well," Tigerwhisker said, "leadership duties kind of fell to him to fulfill. Ciderstar was never much of a leader. During battles, she never once showed her face. It was especially hard for him, after his sister passed."

"His sister?" Rockpaw asked. "Who was she?"

Tigerwhisker looked at him in surprise.

Hawkstripe answered him. "Your mother, Leaftail."

"Oh." Rockpaw nodded. "I was never aware that I had an uncle."

Hawkstripe kind of laughed at that, and Tigerwhisker gave him a sideways look.

 _Different than you and I._

Sooner than Rockpaw expected, they arrived at Fourtrees.

And there were cats, far more than Rockpaw could ever expect. Apprentices, warriors, and elders, and the _sound_ of everybody talking at once was annoying enough up here that he didn't want to know how loud it was down there. "Holy _shit_ ," was all he could say.

Cats around him gave a slight chuckle. They knew it was him, simply because there was no other apprentice that swears as much as he does, and no mentor that would allow it besides Hawkstripe.

Ciderstar spent a moment looking over the clearing, then flicked her tail as the signal to move forward. Rockpaw followed Hawkstripe as they ran down the hill.

"ShadowClan's the only one not to have arrived," Hawkstripe informed him as they reached the bottom. "I think it's best that we stay away from them."

Rockpaw nodded in agreement.

"Here, follow me."

Rockpaw nodded again.

Hawkstripe led him over to where a white she-cat was conversing with a silver tom, a very large ginger tom with spiky fur, and a tom with unbelievably smooth white fur and cream-colored patches. Rockpaw recognized the white, grey-striped she-cat and silver tom as Silverfawn, the blind warrior, and Beetle'eye. They were the RiverClan cats he met from across the river, but the identity of the other two cats were mysterious to him.

"Hawkstripe." The white-and-cream tom greeted in a friendly manner. His voice was as smooth as his fur, and his eyes had a certain quality to them, like sunlight glinting off a still body of water.

"Sorrelspot, how are you?"

"I've been great. And you? Anything new?"

"Well," Hawkstripe said, "this is my apprentice, Rockpaw." He guestured to Rockpaw. "And, Rockpaw, this is Sorrelspot, the medicine cat of WindClan, and, of course, Dustspike, a senior warrior of WindClan."

Sorrelspot bowed his head. "Pleasure to meet you."

Dustspike nodded once. "I've heard about you. It's nice to finally meet you."

Rockpaw nodded. "It's nice to meet you, too."

Hawkstripe continued. "Silverfawn and Beetle'eye you've already met."

Silverfawn scoffed. "If you can call that 'meeting.' I'm sorry, Rockpaw, I haven't properly introduced myself."

"Yeah, but I introduced you," Hawkstripe insisted.

"I don't need you to introduce me. I can do it myself."

"If you insist."

Throughout all of this, Rockpaw got the sense that Hawkstripe was quite popular. Hawkstripe and Silverfawn's arguing was good-natured, and the other cats seemed pleased to see him. But that's politics, isn't it? To pretend to have friends?

Well, who knows?

"Rockpaw, I am Silverfawn, the best warrior in RiverClan." She bowed her head to him.

Beetle'eye scoffed. "Don't kid yourself, Silverfawn. You still have yet to beat Hailshadow, and we all know it."

Now Silverfawn scoffed. "Oh please, Hailstorm? That tyrant. He's no match for these claws."

 _She's a nice cat._

Rockpaw laughed along with the rest of them.

A young cream and white calico tom came up next to Sorrelspot.

"Digger," Sorrelspot greeted.

"Hello," Digger said.

"Digger, this is Rockpaw, Hawkstripe's apprentice," Sorrelspot said.

Digger looked over. "Oh, yes, Whitepaw's brother."

"You know Whitepaw?" Rockpaw asked.

"Yeah. Sorry, I should introduce myself. I'm Digger, Sorrelspot's apprentice."

Rockpaw nodded in understanding. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too, brother."

Hawkstripe interrupted. "I should go. There's more cats I want to introduce Rockpaw to."

Silverfawn nodded. "I'd do my best to avoid those ShadowClan cats if I were you," she advised.

"I'll do my best, love," Hawkstripe answered, and led Rockpaw away.

 _Different than you and I._

"Does Silverfawn always have Beetle'eye with her?" Rockpaw asked.

"Yeah. He's her brother. He basically just tells her what she can't see for herself, 'cause she can't see. If you were ever to get into a life-or-death battle with RiverClan, what you would want to do is separate Beetle'eye from Silverfawn. Then all she had to rely on are her instincts which, are formidable, but not enough, really."

"Every battle is life or death," Rockpaw pointed out.

Hawkstripe laughed. "No, not really, Rockpaw. Sometimes a skirmish is just a skirmish."

The two cats looked up to see ShadowClan cats running down, into the clearing, a cat Rockpaw presumed to be Jaunestar at the lead. He and Hawkstripe paused to watch them as they dispersed into the crowd, and too late Hawkstripe realized that Jaunestar was heading for him and his apprentice. By the time he thought he should turn around and get lost in the crowd, Jaunestar was upon them.

"Hawkstripe," he said. "Long time no see."

Jaunestar was a black tom that wasn't particularly large, contrary to what Rockpaw had thought he'd be. He had golden markings around his eyes and highlighted on his pelt that Rockpaw found unusual, and his eyes were quite the color. Somewhere between orange and amber. He was someone Rockpaw would definitely be able to pick out in a crowd.

"I missed you last Gathering," Jaunestar continued. "I was kind of disappointed."

"Well, sorry about that," Hawkstripe replied.

"And who's this?" Jaunestar turned his unnatural gaze to Rockpaw. Rockpaw swallowed nervously.

"This is Rockpaw, my apprentice."

"Oh, Rockpaw. I believe Wolfclaw told me about you. Hell of a cat, isn't he?" He laughed, then his voice became somber. "I was very sorry when I heard about your mother, all those moons ago. She was a good cat. And I can't... imagine your pain."

 _Different than you and I._ Or just an ass.

"Thank you," Rockpaw said.

"I'm sure you'll get along just fine with my son," Jaunestar informed him, and flicked his tail to beckon someone over.

A black tom came over. He seemed to be about Rockpaw's age, just a little bit older, and his eyes were pure golden, as unnatural as his father's but a different color.

"And, Hawkstripe, walk with me," Jaunestar walked away and Hawkstripe reluctantly followed, looking back at Rockpaw.

Rockpaw looked at Jaunestar's son nervously. The black tom wasn't paying him any particular attention, licking his paw against his ear.

"So, you're Rockpaw, huh?" He said.

"Yes. And you are...?"

"Ah. Excuse me. My name is Trickpaw." He gave a slight bow in Rockpaw's direction. "Aren't you the one whose mother was murdered?"

"Um, yes."

"Mine, too. Do you know Silverfawn of RiverClan?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, it was her, that blind degenerate. She'll get what's coing to her, eventually. Then she'll wish she'd become a medicine cat like the useless bitch she is."

Rockpaw nodded, a little bewildered at Trickpaw's blunt attitude but not particularly offended. "They never found who killed my mother." _Or brought her back to life._

Trickpaw gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. That has to be frustrating."

"Not that I don't have my suspicions."

"What do you mean?"

Rockpaw shook his head, realizing what he said out loud. "Nevermind."

 **...**

Hawkstripe looked behind himself, at Rockpaw.

"So, Cedarclaw finally decided to trust you with another apprentice," Jaunestar remarked.

"Well, I doubt he ever would. It was actually Ciderstar who preformed the ceremony," Hawstripe said matter-of-factly.

"Ciderstar?" Jaunestar said in surprise.

"Yes. In fact, Ciderstar is here today."

"Well, hell," Jaunestar remarked. "Maybe she finally got her priorities straight."

"Heh, perhaps."

"In any case, I wanted to give you some advice."

"Of course."

"If I were you, I'd keep an eye on your apprentice. If he's anything like his father, he'll be a goddamn renegade by the time he earns his warrior title. Or, you know, dead."

Hawkstripe looked at him in surprise and Jaunestar gave him a crooked smirk. "I'm sure we'll see each other again very soon," the ShadowClan leader said, and began to walk away.

"Wait, Jaunestar," Hawkstripe called, and sighed.

Jaunestar turned. "Yes?"

"Why don't you just let it go, Jaunestar? You know, Rockpaw is barely out of kithood, and he's already lost close family members. He doesn't deserve... whatever you're going to do to him."

"But _you_ do. You'll suffer for what you did."

"Don't you think I've suffered enough?"

Jaunestar hissed and lunged at Hawkstripe, stopping just in front of his face. "Don't you think _I've_ suffered enough? And Trickpaw? Hasn't _he_ suffered enough? No, you will never stop being punished, for what you did."

"I'm sorry, Jaunestar," Hawkstripe said, but his voice was weak, mostly with fear.

" _I don't care_ ," Jaunestar hissed, then he realized that cats around them were starting to stare. He whipped around and stalked off. Hawkstripe stood in the same spot, and then, too walked away in the opposite direction.

 **...**

"Is this your first Gathering?" Trickpaw asked.

"Yeah," Rockpaw answered. "Is it yours?"

"No. It's my second. My first, I was really excited; I thought I'd be able to do more. But the entire thing seems dull."

Rockpaw shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't think anyone here wants to talk to me. They all assume I'm just like my father, only because I'm his son."

"I can't say I don't know how that feels," Rockpaw said.

Trickpaw laughed. "I imagine it has to be much worse for you." He paused. "But look at us; we're different than them. Our fathers don't get along at all, and yet you and I are getting on fine."

It was true, that they were getting along. Whenever Rockpaw had been forced to conversate with the other apprentices in ThunderClan, he'd gotten bored out of his mind. But he was enjoying his conversation with Trickpaw, despite him insulting one of Hawkstripe's close friends before they had even been talking for a minute, and that his clan had stolen a kit from Jadeheart. He was right, that the actions of the father doesn't dictate the actions of the son.

Wait, what did he say?

"Wait, did your father know mine?"

"Well, from what I hear, everybody knew Shatteredgaze. But I meant Hawkstripe."

"Hawkstripe?" Rockpaw was genuinely surprised.

"Well, yeah." Trickpaw shrugged. "I mean, can you think of anyone else in your clan who would show as much concern for you as he does? See you for who you are and not who your father was? I mean, I wish I was that lucky. Everybody's so wary of me all the time, even my mentor."

Rockpaw nodded. In this matter, he didn't think he agreed that Hawkstripe was his "father," but ultimately, Trickpaw and he understood each other. Rockpaw, Trickpaw, and Hawkstripe, all of them understood each other. They were damaged, and they embraced it, and they let it shape them. Others, they don't do that. They hide from their pain and try and grow around it. The three toms were different than the rest of the cats, but not necessarily stronger. If anything, that made them weaker.

 **...**

Stonewhisker had left Whitepaw alone with Digger and Fallpaw. Digger excused himself, and Whitepaw's eyes followed him to where Sorrelspot was with a few other cats, including Rockpaw and Hawkstripe.

 _Hawkstripe._ She hated him. What was his problem, anyway? The bastard. Murderous bastard. If only she had some way to prove her suspicion that he killed Leaftail. She still remembered her mother's dead eyes, and the blood that surrounded her. Rockpaw had forgotten, damn him, but she never would.

"Whitepaw... Whitepaw!" Fallpaw poked her with his claw to get her attention.

"Hm? Yes?" She looked over.

"If you're done gazing at Digger like that, do you want me to show you around?"

"W-what? What do you mean?" Whitepaw stammered, wondering how could he say something like that.

He gave her a playful smile. "You know I'm just kidding, Whitepaw. So, do you want me to show you around?"

Whitepaw nodded. "Sure."

 _Gazing_ at Digger? Sure, he was handsome, but _gazing_? They were both medicine cats, not to mention from different clans.

Ah, she shouldn't even be worrying about it. Fallpaw was only joking.

 **...**

Rockpaw and Trickpaw were still talking when Ciderstar on the GreatRock gave the signal that the Gathering was beginning. There was a small murmur of confusion through the crowd as the other clans saw that it wasn't Cedarclaw up there, it was actually Ciderstar doing what leaders are actually supposed to do.

"Well, would you look at that," Trickpaw muttered.

Then the conversations quickly died down.

A cream-colored tom stepped forward. Rockpaw didn't know if he was Kinkstar, leader of RiverClan, or Tigerstar, leader of WindClan.

"WindClan is doing fine." WindClan. He must be Tigerstar. He sounded bored. "We have a new apprentice, Darkpaw, and a nonclan cat come to us, Vesto. We've decided to take him in."

Trickpaw scoffed and Rockpaw looked over at him.

"I'll never understand why we keep letting in cats that aren't clan blood," he whispered to Rockpaw. "They're all savages."

 _And your clan isn't?_ Rockpaw thought, but decided not to say.

He wondered if and how Ciderstar would mention Flamekit. Wondered if it really was a good idea to be sitting next to Trickpaw if and when she did.

"Other than that, there is nothing new that has happened."

He stepped back, and the small silver tom, Kinkstar stepped forward and announced that they had a new warrior, Doeheart, said something else of equal unimportance, and stepped back. Jaunestar and Ciderstar glanced at each other, then Jaunestar moved to step forward, but Ciderstar darted in front of him.

"We have four new apprentices that are here today: Rockpaw, Whitepaw, Barkpaw and Lonepaw. Whitepaw is our medicine cat apprentice. Also, we are missing a kit, Flamekit, stolen by Jaunestar." She looked behind her and glared at the ShadowClan leader.

All the cats took a moment to process what she said. Trickpaw shifted uncomfortably as scattered shouts of "Is this true?" and "That's right!" and "Why would you?" and things of the like sounded in the clearing.

Jaunestar stepped forward, next to Ciderstar. "Actually, this statement is untrue. I was not present when this happened; I sent my deputy, Mintwillow to lead the patrol and retrieve Jadeheart's kit."

Ciderstar looked very shocked and disgusted, as did the rest of the clan cats. Not ShadowClan, of course.

Trickpaw was looking increasingly nervous, but no one had turned on him yet, not even Rockpaw, who was looking around the clearing with mild curiosity and frustration. They'd get to the bottom of this quicker if everyone would just _shut up_.

" _Shut the hell up_!" Jaunestar's voice rose above everyone else's. "And let me explain myself."

The cats' yelling quickly died down but the tension didn't, and Jaunestar proceeded to give his explaination. "I did not steal Flamekit. I stole him _back_."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ciderstar protested. "Jadeheart gave birth to that kit herself!"

"And who was the father of that kit? Do you know?"

Ciderstar faltered.

"The father of Flamekit is Scarletfire of ShadowClan. We are claiming the rights to Flamekit." He closed his eyes and waited for the protestations that soon came, from the leaders on the Rock and the cats down below. Although Tigerstar didn't seem to be very aggressive, just questioning.

Ciderstar soon yelled for silence, and then coughed a few times, as if her voice was unused to the the strain.

"ShadowClan is presumed to have killed one of our warriors, Rustclaw," she said once she had recovered. "We haven't found him yet; just a lot of blood. ShadowClan almost killed another of our warriors, and wounded an apprentice badly. Jaunestar," she turned to him. "I'm giving one chance and one only to stop this from becoming a long-term problem. We have your warrior, Justess, in our custody. And you have our kit, Flamekit. And so, my proposition. We'll give you Justess if you give us Flamekit."

Jaunestar didn't stop to consider it. "No. We'll get Justess back ourselves."

Ciderstar snarled. "Fine, then. From now until we get Flamekit back, ShadowClan and ThunderClan are at war."

She jumped down from the Rock. "ThunderClan!"

Rockpaw looked to Trickpaw, who met his gaze.

"Well, I guess we'll be seeing each other again soon," Trickpaw said.

"I guess so," Rockpaw said, and hurried to catch up with Hawkstripe.

Hawkstripe saw Rockpaw come up next to him. "Well, that could have gone better," he remarked.

"I don't think so," Rockpaw replied. "There was only one way that was going to go."

Hawkstripe shrugged and looked behind him, at the cats clearing themselves out of Fourtrees, looking for the one cat he always looked forward to seeing every full moon.

* * *

 **This chapter may have been a bit confusing, so I'm sorry. I tried my best, which admittedly isn't very good.**


	9. Allegiances

**Hey, guys, sorry this was very late in coming. This is being posted while I'm working on the eleventh chapter, and I figure this is a good a place as any to stick this, seeing how the clans have just gone to war and stuff.**

 **So, here is a list of cats in each clan and outside the clans, too. Along with a physical description, there is a short bio and/or a short description of their personality. I doubt that this will ever be read by anyone except myself, but here it is anyway.**

 **Also, I had lots of help with the cats. There was some confusion, so let me clear this up: MOST OF THESE CATS I MADE. ME. I am not entirely lazy, only partly. So thanks to everybody who helped my lazy ass, and so there is an * on every character that ISN'T mine. Sorry, I'm just very particular about this...**

* * *

 **Allegiences:**

 **ThunderClan-**

 **Leader** -Ciderstar, a cowardly cinnamin-colored black tabby she-cat with blue eyes and a demonic voice in her head.

 **Deputy** -Cedarclaw-A grey tom with dark brown eyes.

 **Med. Cat** -Stonewhisker, a young grey tom with subtle white stripes and blue eyes that is desperate to save his unsavable mother.

 **Med. Cat App.** -Whitepaw, a white she-cat with green eyes and a somber manner.

 **Warriors-**

Redwing-A red and black she-cat with amber eyes. It's said in other Clans that she talks to the dead.

Hawkstripe-A brown tabby tom with greyish-brown eyes and hell to pay.

Cedarnose-A light brown tom with twitchy whiskers and orange eyes.

Rustclaw-A russet tom whose claws are constantly covered in dry blood. One wonders were he's always off to in the nights...

Asheye-Blinded in one eye when embers caught his eye in a fire as an apprentice. His original name was Emberpaw, so it was only appropriate. Blue-eyed tom with grey fur and red highlights.

Lightheart-A naive golden she-cat with soulful yellow eyes and black stripes.

Greytail-Grey tom with grey eyes. No one knows exactly why he was named Greytail, because he doesn't have a tail (anymore). More than likely, it was Ciderstar's way of taunting him.

Swiftsong-A small black and white tom. Very twitchy and energetic, and relies on his swiftness in battle.

Tigerwhisker-A pretty, spotted brown she-cat with blue eyes and a silky voice.

Gorsethorn-A light brown tom with brown eyes.

Russetnight-A dark red she-cat with grey eyes.

Spidereye-A black tom with orange eyes.

Beeclaw-A young white, grey tabby tom with light blue eyes.

Littleash-A small grey tom. Quick fighter, but not the best at what he does.

Yarrowfur-A black she-cat with grey eyes.

Snowsting-A white she-cat with light green eyes.

Cloudheart-A lighthearted light grey tom with amber eyes and a black paw.

Silverfall-A white tom with green eyes who assumed responsibility for Rockpaw and Whitepaw for a little while after Leaftail died, but then decided he had more important things to do and gave up on them.

 **Apprentices-**

Rockpaw-A grey tom with eyes a color in between blue and grey, and an unnecessarily sarcastic attitude.

Barkpaw-An energetic brown tom with grey eyes.

Lonepaw-A longhaired black she-cat with glossy fur and yellow eyes.

Hollowpaw-A grey tom with blue eyes.

Wasppaw-A white tom with grey eyes.

Willowpaw-A light grey she-cat with black paws and amber eyes. Has been called a stuck-up bitch before, and it wasn't a lie.

Sagepaw-A light grey tom with darker stripes and amber eyes. Willowpaw's brother. Also a bit of a self-righteous bastard.

 **Queens-**

Nightwater-Nursing three two newborn kits. Black she-cat with milky blue eyes.

Jadeheart-A red she-cat. Her only surviving kit is four moons old.

Darkbite-A black she-cat with a white belly, white paws, and a white tail tip. Nursing two kits that are just about ready to eat real food.

 **Elders-**

Rainpelt-A dying blue-grey she-cat with hollow eyes and suicidal desire.

Lichencoat-A tortoiseshell she-cat with orange eyes.

 **ShadowClan-**

 **Leader-** Jaunestar has just recently become leader. A black tom with golden highlights, a golden outline around his eyes, neat fur, and uniquely colored eyes, something similar to orange. Sometimes he has dishonorable motivations, but in any case his Clan has usually wound up on top since he became Clan leader.

 **Deputy-** Mintwillow-A tortosieshell she-cat with amber eyes. Perhaps she is just a little overzealous, but in the end a good choice for deputy in Jaunestar's eyes.

 **Med. Cat-** Cedarweb-A former warrior she-cat with yellow eyes and russet fur.

 **Med. Cat App.-** None at this time.

 **Warriors-**

Justess- Red she-cat with green eyes. Came to ShadowClan from the TwolegPlace at seven moons old just recently. Is only eight moons now, and recognized as one of the best warriors in the Clans. Jaunestar dotes on her like a second kit and is inclined to give her anything she asks, so of course she was made a warrior early.

Viperswipe- Tiresome because he never stops talking. He has dark grey fur and yellow eyes. His favorite move in battle leaves his opponent disoriented, and from there he takes the perfect opportunity to swipe in the perfect place that would kill them.

Calixte-An off-white tom with green eyes mixed with blue. The kind of heretic Jaunestar had always wanted to get his claws on.

Brighttoad-The name sounded like a good idea until it wasn't. Ginger she-cat with a horrible scar on the right side of one face. A chunk was literally taken from her face by a badger. It leaves half the inside of her mouth uncovered and she never goes to Gatherings anymore. To the other Clans, she is known as "The ShadowClan Spectre."

*Deerpath-A black tom with lighter grey stripes and yellow eyes. Very jumpy and timid, but kind and idealistic. He's very intimidated and always backs out of one-on-one fights. He doesn't have as much friends as he could, because his past life has left him very wary of any cat besides himself.

Tigerstripe-An orange tom with black stripes and amber eyes. Being a young cat, he is very idealistic and naive, but with everyone around him so skeptical, he wonders if his beliefs are actually true.

Coalfur-Orange she-cat with stonelike blue eyes.

Scarletheart-All her life, she's been bleeding inside. Everyone she ever loved is dead; even her kit died in her womb. A red she-cat with green eyes.

Wolfclaw-Grey tom with gleaming yellow eyes. Known to be a little off-the-rails.

Seedfur-White tom with brown spots. Wanted to be a medicine cat but didn't, in a failed attempt to please his now dead father.

Muddyeye-Brown tom with blue eyes. When he was an apprentice and a small pack of foxes attacked the camp in the middle if the night, a queen was giving birth. Between the lack of a medicine cat, and giving birth, and getting ripped apart by foxes, she didn't make it. Muddyeye was her oldest son and got his new siblings out with the help of Seedfur and Jaunestar, Jaunefur then.

Hornetclaw-A grey tabby tom with blue eyes. Known to be virtually emotionless.

Flowerheart-A red she-cat with silver stripes on her face, and grey eyes.

Scarletfire-A dark red tom with a white underbelly and grey eyes.

Weedheart-A dark brown tom with black stripes and yellow eyes.

Quilltail-A white tom with black speckles.

Stilled Water-A grey she-cat with blue eyes and black paws. A forgeiner from the North.

Fishtail-A white she-cat with black stripes.

Birdfeather-A blue-silver she-cat with green eyes and long, white claws.

Stonetail-A grey-black tom with amber eyes.

 **Apprentices-**

Redpaw-Ashy grey she-cat with orange eyes and a reasonably subtle scar down one eye. Called Redpaw because when she was born, and small pack of foxes were attacking the camp, and when her mother was mauled, both her and her sister were covered in the blood.

Searpaw-A white she-cat with ginger patches and amber eyes. Redpaw's sister. Her scar is far less subtle than Redpaw's, and the ordeal is suspected to have left more of a significant mark on her psyhcosis.

Trickpaw-Jaunestar's only kit. Small tom with black fur and pure golden eyes that are probably unnatural. Sometimes he would be overheard having rather heated arguments with someone, but when a cat looked, no one else was there.

Lakepaw-A small, quiet she-cat with watery green eyes.

 **Queens-**

Finchtail-Brown she-cat with pale eyes and a slight limp in one of her front legs. Nursing three kits.

Minnowclaw-A green-eyed, silver she-cat, with two kits just about to be made apprentices.

Scarlet-A former cat from the group Clan cats believe to be the Savage Tribe. No one knows who the father of her kits are, and nobody particularly likes her, but Jaunestar couldn't turn away a starving, pregnant cat in a good conscience. Red fur with a white spot on her throat and chest.

 **Elders-**

*Featherhawk-A ginger she-cat with a white underbelly and blue eyes. She's very snappy, as any elder is, and she feels like she can't trust her surrounding; she's gone blind a long time ago. The only cat she trusts anymore is her former apprentice, Deerpath.

Swanclaw-A white she-cat with dark blue eyes.

Sparrowfur-A dark brown tom with brown eyes.

Nighteye-Was part of a prophecy once upon a time. The prophecy is now fulfilled, and StarClan has no further use for her. Calico she-cat with blind blue eyes.

 **RiverClan-**

 **Leader-** Kinkstar-A small silver tom with dark grey eyes who is a bit younger than ideal for his position as leader, same as the leader before him. Ferocious in battle but easygoing even with other clans anytime else. He may come off as a bit sleazy, but that's only to be expected.

 **Deputy-** Sharptooth-A dark brown tabby tom with critical yellow eyes. He and Kinkstar don't generally get along, but Kinkstar recognized that he was the best cat for the job, save Silverfawn.

 **Med. Cat-** Mousewhisker-An old and bitter grey tom with green eyes.

 **Med. Cat App.** -Fallpaw-A good-tempered brown-and-white tom with orange eyes.

 **Warriors-**

Silverfawn-A blind she-cat with white fur and a commanding presence. She would actually be a perfect choice for deputy, but there were too many cats who pressed the issue that she'll never be able to mentor an apprentice.

Beetle'eye-A silver tom with enviably impeccable sight. Silverfawn's brother.

Doeheart-A brown tortosieshell she-cat with a kind personality.

*Blitzfall-A ginger she-cat with white paws and sparkly green eyes. Has a quick temper, but is otherwise level-minded and calm under pressure. Fiercly protects the cats she loves.

*Aetherstripe-An amber-eyed dark grey tom with a black stripe from his nose to his tail tip. He is a very talented tactician, and a quiet, sneaky fighter.

*Duskflame-A green-eyed brown tom with darker brown tabby stripes and and a white forepaw. He is easily irritated, but on a good day can be playful and even flirtatious.

Jaggedheart-An amber tabby tom with blue eyes. A strong-willed cat, and mostly good-hearted. It's a shame, what happened to his mate...

*Skytalon-A brown tom with a white belly and muzzle area, and frosty blue eyes. His past is unknown to most cats; it seemed like he just showed up one day to stay. Sharp-tongued to an extreme, and ambitious as a fighter.

Gingerpelt-A young ginger tom with darker stripes and green eyes.

Hailshadow-A white tom with grey stripes and one grey eye, one eye bluer. Could be classified as a renegade, depending on the cat.

Whiteclaw-A black tom with pale eyes and clean, white claws.

Tigertooth-An older red tom with green eyes.

Waspclaw-A grey she-cat with blue eyes and black markings on her fur.

Heatherclaw-A dark brown she-cat with yellow eyes.

Iceheart-A white she-cat with grey markings and metallic silver eyes.

Lukas-A black tom with brown eyes. Obviously not a Clan cat by birth; he was taken as a prisoner and went from there. He would have been Weststar's choice for deputy, but Kinkstar wound up in that position somehow.

Caesar-A blue-eyed brown tom with black ear tips, long whiskers, dark-colored claws, and a scar across one eye. Also not clanborn, and joined just a few seasons ago.

*Seedtail-A brown she-cat with darker spots, darker paws, and tail tip, and amber eyes. It gets kind of annoying how much she sticks to the rules.

 **Apprentices-**

Kestrelpaw-A dark brown, striped tom with green eyes.

Toadpaw- A red-furred tom with hazel eyes.

Stingpaw-A tired white tom with grey eyes and grey markings. Being the son of Weststar, one must have quite the tiring life.

 **Queens-**

*Lunarstreak-Nursing two kits.

Huntclaw-A brown she-cat with green eyes, and white claws. Nursing two kits.

Fallowheart-A black she-cat with yellow eyes. Just recently gave birth to three kits that no one knows the father of (no one thinks she is sure, either).

 **Elders-**

Jack-A black tom with orange eyes. Obviously not a clan cat, but he helped RiverClan win many battles that probably couldn't be won without him. Weststar accepted him as one of RiverClan, and as he aged, he honored him for his service and Jack joined the elders. However, Kinkstar doesn't have the same opinion on Jack that Weststar did.

Cinderstripe-A snarky brown tom with blue eyes. Not particuarly old, but suffered a major wound in combat, and therefore cannot fight. Friendly with Jack.

Finchtail-A small calico she-cat with brown eyes and a kind manner.

 **WindClan-**

 **Leader-** Tigerstar- Cream colored tom with one amber eye and one grey. He has quite the charming attitude, usually, but lately there's been something the matter with him and he has a dismissive attitude, at best.

 **Deputy-** Thistletooth- A longhaired silver tom with blue eyes and literally a killer bite. Disapproves of Dustspike's mercy to his opponents.

 **Med. Cat-** Sorrelspot- An elegant cream-colored tom with white patches and cool green eyes. Has a smooth, comforting voice and a nonchalant (but not arrogant), rational manner. And perhaps he has wanted kits for a while now.

 **Med. Cat Apprentice-** Digger- Not Clanborn but he doesn't let his background or the occasional 'savage bastard' jibe bother him. Cream and white calico tom.

 **Warriors-**

Dustspike-A large, but fast, cream-colored tom with spiky fur and clear blue eyes. He disapproves of Thistletooth's affinity for killing mercilessly. Sort of a legend among apprentices and young cats. A very worrisome opponent to experienced warriors.

Firefur- A black-and-white she-cat with deep blue eyes. She tried to help her clanmate out of the fire, but she got scorched and shamed instead. A figurative fire, you see. Should have been exiled, if you were to ask most of her clanmates.

Dregor-An Easterner that came to the clans for protection after hearing someone was trying to kill him. Fair wages for fair work, as the saying goes. He was allowed to stay as long as he contributed to clan work.

Ashenheart-A blue-eyed dark grey she-cat with black flecks and black ear tips. She got her name for a reason, though she doesn't like to talk about why.

Fallenash-A dark ginger tom with chrystellic dark green eyes. When he and his mother were trapped inside the burning camp, no one knows how he survived, but there's no mistaking that hint of smoke in his eyes.

Mino-A young former kittypet who decided he'd rather have a more daring, adventurous live. They call him an "adrenaline addict." Many would agree he's more of a hindrance than a valuable asset.

Scarletclaws-A dark brown she-cat with dark brown eyes and dark brown whiskers and dark brown claws.

Vesto-A black tom with very dark blue eyes.

Shiverleaf-A twitchy ginger tom with white paws and silver eyes.

*Thornfur-Amber-eyed large black tom with a white stripe on his chest and a white underbelly, and dark claws. His pelt is covered with scars, battle-caused and otherwise. He is judgmental of other clans, and only has close friends within his own clan because he sees the Warrior Code as the only law to live by.

*Petalshade-A sleek, thick-furred tortoiseshell she-cat with large, pale yellow eyes. She has a small scar on her left flank and a nick in her right ear. She is strict and bossy, even when she tries to be friendly, and therefore doesn't have many friends inside her own clan.

*Ashenlight-A light grey tabby she-cat with a lighter belly and blue eyes. A polite cat wouldn't go as far as to call her stupid, but it's true that she is a little air-headed. She always means well, but tends to cause more trouble than good.

*Flightfang-A dark grey she-cat with amber eyes. She's a cold personality, paranoia constantly contaminating her mind. She feels as though she is outcast from the clan, although she wouldn't be if she were to stop acting like it.

*Owlheart-An amber-eyed grey tom with darker stripes, ears, and tail-tip. He thinks too little of himself for his own good, and although he is, in theory, a more than formidible warrior, he always holds himself back.

 **Apprentices-**

Fortunepaw-A brown and white she-cat with blue eyes.

*Swiftpaw-Dusty brown tom with black paws and long white claws, also has amber eyes. Being a cheeky bastard, he is not a favorite among warriors, but every apprentice adores him.

*Lightningpaw-A small silver she-cat with a white stripe that reaches from her nose to her tail tip. So named because of her quick personality. She is a good on- the-spot thinker, an incredible liar, and very sarcastic, but good-hearted deep inside, or so she likes to think.

Darkpaw-A red she-cat with dark green eyes and black claws.

*Silverpaw-A white she-cat with green eyes and silver tabby stripes. Runningcould and Thornfur's kit.

 **Queens/Kits-**

*Runningcloud-A lithe brown she-cat with green eyes and one nicked ear. Very kind, and helpful. She is everybody's friend, whether it be a cat in WindClan or another clan, or in no clan at all. This fact rather annoys her mate, Thornfur, who sees any affiliation with another clan as disloyalty.

*Breezekit-A mottled tortoiseshell she-cat with dark green eyes. Runningcloud and Thornfur's kit.

*Blazekit-A strong-built golden tom with orange eyes. Runningcloud and Thornfur's kit.

 **Elders-**

Dideon-A black tom with yellow eyes

Watereyes-A light blue she-cat with blind eyes.

Duskheart-A red tom with yellow eyes.

 **StarClan-**

Weststar-A smallish silver tom with clear blue eyes. Died younger than is usually ideal, and even he isn't sure who actually killed him.

Red Ash-Also died young, and has been dead for a very, very long time. Pretty much the most experienced in manipulating reality, and usually uses his power for dark thrills. Dark red tom with black outlines around his green eyes.

Sky That Cries At Night-A black she-cat with dark blue eyes. Is good friends with Red Ash.

Giri-An orange she-cat with brown eyes. Wasn't originally a clan cat. She is like family to Red Ash and Sky That Cries At Night.

Judas-A cream-colored tom with dark eyes and immaculate claws and fur.

Brownpaw-A brown she-cat with blue eyes and a white paw.

Trix-A yellow-eyed black tom with grey markings down his back and a grey paw.

Miso-A dark brown tom with yellow eyes and a scar on his face that reaches from the bottom of his ear to the tip of his nose.

Redwish-A red she-cat with green eyes. Former medicine cat that went crazy and drowned herself.

Xetheo-A dark grey tom with black flecks, black ear tips, and dark blue eyes.

 **Followers of Ju'uszwik**

 **The Divine** -The highest ranking officer, chosen by Ju'uszwik by means of a one-on-one battle. Smallish brown and white tom with green eyes. He has given up his name, and answers to many variations of "Divine One."

 **The Stolen** -A kit taken from his mother's nest. By Clan standards, he is too young to be even an apprentice, but he is the second-highest ranking officer, raised as the son of The Divine. His name is Biven, and he is a white tom with black circles around his blue eyes.

 **Healer** -Soren, a grey tom with red highlights and grey eyes.

 **Strategist** -Kiko-A dark brown she-cat with amber eyes.

 **The Tyrant** -The Tyrant is part of a prophecy long since fulfilled. His name is Dominique: a large white tom with blue eyes and long, sharp claws. Sarcastic in nature, swears a bit too much, and desperate. Everyone knows, the desperate will go to extremes to get what they believe is theirs.

Waleri-A light grey she-cat with clear blue eyes, a firm believer in politeness and decorum.

Salerino-A grey-brown tom with red-orange eyes, and a good friend of Dominique's.

Fritz-A smart black tom with yellow eyes.

Iritza-A white tom with dark green eyes.

Voltri-A black she-cat with velvety fur and blue eyes.

Retrid-A red tom with dark orange eyes that look red in a certain light.

Asher-A grey tom with blue eyes and darker grey spots.

Mako-A ginger she-cat with brown eyes.

Hiro-A dark ginger tom with brown eyes. Mako's brother.

Tyri-A modest brown she-cat with brown eyes.

Reid-New to the place. White tom with green eyes.

 **The Shamed** -The lowest ranking cat in the Group. Attends to all of the dirty tasks that no one else wants to. Also cannon fodder. His name is Nix, and he is a grey tom with scarred blue eyes.

 **Cats outside Clans-**

 **Loners-**

Saohei-A chestnut brown tom with orange eyes and white spots. He's not from around here. He's from a long, long, ways away. Where savages tear each others' throats out, and ceremoniously throw each other off the mountains. Saohei left that and came to what he thought was a more peaceful land.

Jesse-A good-mannered tom, who pretends to be everyone's friend when really, he's only interested in his own well-being.

Sergei-A black tom with very pale blue eyes and a large scar on his face. He almost never speaks.

Eliza-A ginger she-cat with dark eyes.

Syphrone-A former Follower of Ju'uszwik that left because of his kit's death. Black tom with blue eyes and dark claws.

Nigel-A cream-colored tom with white spots and green eyes. A former WindClan cat who used to be named Fallowstar.

Jiriska-A black she-cat with ember-like eyes. She is believed to be close to Shiv, though it is unknown if she is either proof of his existence or if she's always bluffing.

Shiv-Murderous. It's not even been proved he actually exists, since everybody who's ever run into him is dead. There's just a few sightings of shadows, and the scent of rotting flesh.

*Whisper-A black she-cat with grey paws, and grey markings around her milky green eyes. Was born into the life of a kittypet, but her pride got in the way of succumbing to the twolegs. And now, she is trying to find her own destiny, very unsure about the future.

* * *

 **I apologize if you are a person whose cat I included and somehow you happened to remember, and the description of your cat was changed. I did change some to fit the story, to limit the amount of incredibly unique markings and eye colors, and to make them more interesting. If you have a problem, I'll change it, of course.**

 **Exit stage FuturisticVamp.**


	10. Chapter 8:: Coming Back

_"Home is where the heart, I've been told."_

 _-Coming Home,_ A7x

Chapter 8:: Coming Back

 _The night of the Gathering-_

Nigel spent a few hours pondering Dominique's situation. He was returning to the clans, but for what reason? It wasn't just to see his family, Nigel could say that much.

Was he in it for the power? To take over Thunderclan like he'd always wanted to, and force them to realize his newfound and dubious religion?

Nigel remembered the days when he was the leader of WindClan, and that power had felt so great. He'd tell a warrior to do something, and they'd just do it, for him, for their loyalty to him, and the clan that he represented. He liked that part of clan life. He'd left for other reasons.

The more he thought about it, the more he missed it, and the more he came to understand Dominique's motivation.

He jumped up from his contemplation.

His hollow between the boulders was big enough to be a camp for an entire clan. When he built it, he'd thought it would be a crime just to keep it for himself. As long as they brought in their fair share of fresh-kill, any of Nigel's friends were allowed to stay. Usually those cats only consisted of only Sergei, Jiriska, and Syphrone. Sometimes Saohei, too, more often then not lately.

Saohei wasn't here tonight, Nigel lamented. He was the only one besides Sergei who would still be awake this time of night.

"Hey! Sergei!" Nigel bounded over to the pale-eyed tom and dropped himself at his side.

Sergei looked at him from the corner of his eye and sighed. This wasn't the first time Nigel had come over to him and forced him to listen to one of his antic speeches.

"Sergei. I've had an idea."

Sergei nodded and closed his eyes.

"I'm going to take back my clan!"

Sergei looked at him to see if he was joking, and then almost laughed at the conviction in his eyes. Possibly the only thing that stopped him was that his voice hadn't been used in many many seasons, and it would take an absurd amount of effort to make any coherent sound.

Nigel noticed his smirk, however, and asked about it indignantly. Sergei shook his head.

"Come on, Sergei, you know that you and I, and..." He paused to think. "I don't know, someone else, we could do it. We aren't that old yet."

Sergei shrugged as Nigel continued.

"Like Syphrone, or maybe Soahei. I would bring Jiriska too, but I know she won't want to leave this place. Her reputation and all that."

Sergei nodded, pretending to give Nigel his full attention while all he wanted to do was fall asleep. This was probably a sudden notion that he won't remember, or care about, in the morning, like all his ideas.

Nigel sighed, suddenly wanting out of this tiny, claustrophobic forest filled with simple minds with no insight. He missed the open moors, where he could _run_. And he missed the insidious minds, with too much ambition and nowhere to put it. That special breed of sick, delusional, violent cats you can't find anywhere else. It was where he was born. He didn't know he was kidding, pretending he wasn't a clan cat anymore. He couldn't live anywhere else.

He looked over at Sergei, who was now very successfully feigning sleep, and over where he knew Syphrone slept every night, shaded under dried-out bracken, and then Jiriska.

Yes, he wanted out. But, he couldn't live without them. They're a part of his life, now.

He narrowed his eyes in thought. He wasn't going to go back to his old life, as Fallowstar, not necessarily. He wasn't even Fallowstar anymore. He had Fallowstar's fur but not his eyes. His mind but not his thoughts. He carried the same demons but not the same loves.

No, now, he was Nigel.

 _(POV: Silverfawn)_

Silverfawn woke.

She woke very suddenly, as if startled by something. The suddenness of her movement jarred Beetle'eye out of sleep, and so he woke just as suddenly.

"Silverfawn?" He yawned, quietly.

"I'm okay, Beetle'eye," she said. "It was just a dream."

"Really? What about?"

Silverfawn took a moment to recall it and debate on whether or not to tell him. It had been about their mother. Her death, actually. Talking to Hawkstripe that evening had brought it all back to her. She was only Silverpaw, and Beetle'eye, Beetlepaw. They heard their mother's sweet voice, telling them everything would be fine. Beetle'eye saw her; apparently she was beautiful.

Silverfawn's first taste of battle was quite overwhelming. The second time was slightly less. She was always grateful for Beetle'eye, who fought by her side and never separated himself from her.

During her third battle, she heard the screech as well as Beetle'eye. Some convoluted version of her mother's soothing, non-patronizing voice. And then Beetle'eye was gone, crying " _Mother!_ " Silverfawn was lost without him, with the sounds of battle pressing in on her.

She was attacked and fell to the ground. Here, her nightmare deviated from the real memories. In the dream, the attacker clawed her skin apart and bit into her bones as she cried for her mother, until she started awake, painfully silent.

In reality, the cat's attack hadn't been as vicious, skillfull, or successful. As well as training with Beetle'eye, she had also been forced to train by herself, in the event that they were separated. Though, she didn't need much training to use all her strength and throw the cat off her, and jump in the place she hoped he would have ended up. She was relieved when her claws dug into skin instead of dirt.

The cat struggled, and pushed her over, back onto the ground, hissing. Then his grip faltered.

"Wait-hang on." The voice was hoarse and sharp with youth and curiosity. An apprentice, like her. It was a very comforting voice, really, and Silverfawn had forgotten to keep fighting. "Holy shit, you're blind! Are you a medicine cat!" He exclaimed with no delicacy at all.

" _No_ ," Silverfawn had growled, and threw him off of her again. "I am a warrior apprentice, just like as you."

"ThunderClan!" Silverfawn perked up at Weststar's voice, no more than a shrill wail at this point. He wasn't even a deputy back then, he was a fresh warrior, and terrified. But still, he had led the patrol, much to the other, more experienced, warriors' annoyance. "ThunderClan, we surrender! The SunningRocks are yours, for now!"

The fighting stopped, not so abruptly as would have been preferred.

"Please," Weststar said, "just let us take our dead across the river in peace."

 _Dead?_ Silverfawn thought. _Who?_

"Mother...?" She whispered, almost inaudibly.

"What, is _she_ your mother?" The attractively-voiced apprentice asked.

Silverfawn was startled by his voice and faltered.

"What's her name?" He pressed.

"R-Rowanfall."

"Silverpaw!" Blitzfall's voice. Back then, Blitzfall was a newer warrior than Weststar had been. Silverpaw used to sleep in the same den as her until a few nights before this.

"Silverpaw, here. Come with me." Blitzfall walked away with Silverfawn following, knowing better than to guide Silverfawn by touching her in any way. The apprentice was very adamant about that, that nobody touch her. Although, she probably wouldn't have noticed, at that moment.

She felt the ThunderClan apprentice's eyes on her as she followed Blitzfall, and, despite everything, she couldn't stop thinking about the sound of hs voice, or how he had turned from an enemy to somewhat of a friend in such short time.

Bringing her thoughts back to the present, Silverfawn faced her brother.

"I don't remember the dream," she told him.

Beetle'eye scoffed as if he didn't believe her, which she didn't expect him to, but let it be.

In truth, Silverfawn had wanted to talk about it with Beetle'eye, the ever-understanding brother. But he could never _really_ understand. And besides, the only way she and Beetle'eye survived every day was by shoving those kinds of memories under the surface, trying their best to forget about them and move on. What kind of sister would she be, if she caused those memories to dash back into the open air?

So, she settled for saying a chaste goodnight to her brother, and curled up in her nest with her back to him.

 _(POV: ThunderClan)_

Rockpaw didn't sleep the night of the Gathering. The whole of ThunderClan didn't sleep, frightened and adrenalized by the thought of war. When was the last time a clan went to war with another? Were they safe for the night, at least, while the full moon still showed?

Ciderstar had made a short speech, stating only the obvious, that they were at war with ShadowClan, and starting tomorrow, sentries will stand watch every night, changing halfway through the night. Apprentices can only go outside the camp with a warrior, and patrols to the ShadowClan border will have a least six cats, as little as two apprentices, if any. There would be two cats guarding Justess at all times, and don't worry, Jadeheart, we'll get your kit back. She made no comment on the father of Flamekit, but most of everyone else was.

"Hawkstripe, may I see you?" Ciderstar concluded the speech.

Hawkstripe nodded and went over to her. Rockpaw watched them exchange a few words, and Hawkstripe became tense. But he nodded again, and walked past Rockpaw without so much as a single word.

After her speech, Ciderstar went into her den, Whitepaw went into hers, Hawkstripe avoided the usual questions and curled up in his lonely nest in the far corner of the warriors' den, and Rockpaw prepared himself for the worst, as he was about to be the first to go into the apprentices' den after Willowpaw and Sagepaw, who didn't attend the Gathering.

He ducked into the den and was immediately engaged in pointless conversation.

"Rockpaw!" Willowpaw shouted.

"What?" He mumbled.

"So, how was you first Gathering?"

"Who'd you meet?" Sagepaw asked.

"Who was even _there_?"

"What exactly did Jaunestar say?"

"Did you meet Silverfawn?"

There was a pause in the questions which Rockpaw did not intend to fill, and so Willowpaw thought to expand on her last question.

"Y'know, Silverfawn? I would think that Hawkstripe would introduce you to the cat that he's in love with. I think the two of them are perfect for each other, don't you, Sagepaw?"

Sagepaw nodded.

Rockpaw shifted his paws. Where was this conversation going?

"Though, to be honest, from what I know of Silverfawn, she's a bit of a self-righteous bitch," Sagepaw said.

"Like I said, they're perfect for each other," Willowpaw replied, and giggled at her own joke.

Rockpaw sighed.

"Why don't you ask Lonepaw about the Gathering?" He suggested. "I'm getting tired."

He turned and carried himself painfully to his shadowy nest in the far corner of the den, only just becoming aware of how sore his muscles were. He laid down with his back to the other apprentices.

He curled further into himself as Lonepaw, Wasppaw, and Barkpaw came into the den, and the small space became filled with the incessant chatter of the ignorant asses that were Rockpaw's denmates.

Willowpaw, ever the impudent bitch, had taken over the conversation, and Sagepaw, forever her thoughtless lackey, filled whatever space was left with his voice. The others' inputs were quickly pushed to the outer edges of the conversation, basically nonexistent even though it was Lonepaw's experiences that were the focus.

Rockpaw found it alarming that cats such as Willowpaw and Sagepaw would someday be in places of significant authority in the clan. And if the state of mind of their kits, and their kits' kits kept deteriorating, then Rockpaw genuinely feared for the future.

Well, hopefully, they would mature with age.

And what did she mean about Hawkstripe? Sure, he could be a bastard, but his sarcasm was usually good-natured. He never aimed to hurt unless he was attacked first. Self-righteous was going a little far.

Rockpaw had seen him lash out before, verbally and physically. As many friends as he had, he had just as many enemies. Rockpaw recalled the incident with Beeclaw, who was fresh from the apprentices' den but thought he was the most important warrior in the world. He got on Hawkstripe's nerves a lot, with his arrogant nature and his constant bragging, although he had seen only three battles, and fought exactly one enemy per battle.

His fur was always neatly done, shiny and unmarked. His first scar was from Hawkstripe, a cut that stretched from below his eye to the tip of his nose. Cedarclaw had to break up the fight, lest Hawkstripe injure Beeclaw permanently. Hawkstripe was obviously the better warrior; he was better than most of the clan, for that matter.

"Hey, Rockpaw, what did you do?" Barkpaw's voice. Rockpaw was surprised that someone even bothered to ask him. Unless it was simply a joke of some sort.

He sighed, and turned around. "I... met Jaunestar," he said.

All the apprentices looked at him blankly.

Willowpaw scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"Me and Hawkstripe ran into him on his way to the GreatRock."

"Literally ran into him?"

"No, of course not." Rockpaw rolled his eyes. "If you're going to speak to me, please be intelligent about it."

Willowpaw gasped in surprise. Real or fake, Rockpaw couldn't tell. "What, you... you think I'm stupid, Rockpaw?"

Rockpaw narrowed his eyes. _Now_ what was she doing?

"You think you're better than all of us? You and your lazy, sleazy, mentor?"

Rockpaw stood. "Lazy and sleazy?"

Willowpaw also stood. "Exactly. A lazy, sleazy, _jealous_ asshole. I'll never understand how it was so hard for everyone to figure out who killed Leaftail. All the evidence was there."

"What are you saying?" Rockpaw's voice was a low growl. He knew exactly what she was suggesting, but he wanted to see if she would go as far as to say it outright. And if she did...

Willowpaw bared her teeth in some kind of sick smile. "I'm saying that your beloved mentor is the murderous bastard that killed your mother."

Rockpaw leapt onto her, and she yelped in surprise. The other apprentices quickly got out of the way as they rolled out of the den and into the open.

They broke apart, and circled each other, growling. There was blood dripping down Willowpaw's forehead, just above her eye. She shook her head in annoyance, then leapt for Rockpaw, but he dodged it. She landed hard just behind him, quickly recovering.

Rockpaw swiped at her, and she wasn't quick enough to dodge it completely. His claws nicked her shoulder. She then attacked, but Rockpaw was quick, and as he ducked, he lunged and caught her off guard. She yowled in pain as his claws dug into her skin and her blood splattered onto the ground, mixing with the light snow.

She growled and glared at Rockpaw with enough fire in her eyes that Rockpaw stopped short, and all of the sudden remembered how much further into apprenticeship she was than him.

He crouched low and hissed at her feebly, and she jumped on him. They tussled on the ground, clawing and biting, until they heard a shout.

" _Stop_! What the hell is going on here?"

Rockpaw broke away from Willowpaw instantly, and faced Cedarclaw with his head bowed. His ear twitched as dropets of blood trickled into it. Willowpaw only stood, staring straight at Cedarclaw defiantly.

"What are you doing?" Cedarclaw demanded.

Rockpaw's gaze flickered to the left, and saw where the ShadowClan warrior Justess was being held captive. Behind Russetnight and Littleash, who were keeping watch on her, he saw the green flash of her eyes.

"Well?" Cedarclaw waited impatiently, until it became clear that neither of the apprentices were going to give him an answer. He scoffed.

"Hawkstripe! Get out here!" He shouted. Hawkstripe wasn't part of the small crowd that had gathered to see what was going on.

After a moment filled with tense silence, Hawkstripe staggered out of the warriors' den, looking exhausted and ready to lash out at whichever cat was closest to them. Rockpaw shrank back and Willowpaw looked smug.

"Spidereye, come here." Cedarclaw also called to Willowpaw's mentor, and it was Rockpaw's turn to look smug as her eyes widened. But the satisfied smile fell off his face when he heard Hawkstripe's voice.

"We're at war, Cedarclaw. You should let your warriors sleep." Hawkstripe yawned.

"And I would, if _your_ apprentice hadn't been fighting with his own clanmate."

"A fight?" Hawkstripe seemed amused.

"Yes. With Willowpaw."

"Oh, well, that explains it."

Cedarclaw was taken aback.

"Who attacked first?" Hawkstripe asked.

"Rockpaw did," Willowpaw was quick to answer.

"And did you have a good reason to attack Willowpaw, Rockpaw?"

Rockpaw nodded.

"Then that's settled. Rockpaw had a good reason and there's nothing more on the subject."

Cedarclaw looked at him, bewildered. "What was your reason, Rockpaw?"

Rockpaw looked up at him. "She said something about a good friend of mine."

"A bad thing?"

He rolled his eyes. " _Yes_."

Cedarclaw's whiskers twitched. "That's hardly grounds to attack your own clanmate, especially at a time like this."

"If you were there, Cedarclaw, you'd have done the same thing."

Cedarclaw looked him in the eye. "Nothing would ever compell me to attack my own clanmate."

Willowpaw cut in. "Not even murder?"

Hawkstripe looked at her curiously. "Murder?"

Willowpaw smirked at him. Rockpaw looked at her in disgust.

"Willowpaw." Spidereye spoke. "Come walk with me." He headed for the tunnel and Willowpaw followed, blood and all.

Hawkstripe came over to Rockpaw and looked him over.

"You have less wounds than she does," he remarked. "Job well done."

Cedarclaw interceded. "Hawkstripe, I-"

"Cedarclaw, your input is hardly needed in this matter anymore." Hawkstripe looked back at him, and the deputy went silent. The civil relationship between he and Hawkstripe had always been ice thin, and more than once before it had threatened to break.

Cedarclaw scoffed and turned away.

"Go get yourself to Stonewhisker," Hawkstripe continued, "and we'll talk more tomorrow."

Rockpaw nodded and walked away. Hawkstripe yawned again and went back to the warriors' den to pretend to sleep, while he wept.

Rockpaw walked away, ignoring the stares of his denmates, thinking more on Willowpaw. She was different than him, yes, as so many others were. And sometimes the inferior need a lesson, to teach them who's _really_ the best.

 _(POV: Trickpaw)_

Trickpaw flinched every time the kit yowled to be taken back to its mother. It never slept.

Jaunestar had appointed Trickpaw as the nursery's guard for the night, and they only thing keeping him awake was the kit's shrill wailing. He'd decided not to become too attatched to the kit. At the moment, he couldn't do more than say the kit's name was either Firekit, Flamekit, or Emberkit; somewhere in that category. He definitely didn't know whether it was male or female. It was hard to discern, with kits and with ThunderClan cats in general.

Trickpaw thought that stealing a kit was possibly the ugliest thing that could ever be done. And now he's heard word that Jaunestar was planning to go to RiverClan next. And he couldn't use the same excuse as he did for Flamekit for the other kit.

As for ShadowClan's other ThunderClan prisoner, he still hadn't woken yet. He was still inside the medicine den, being cared for tediously by Cedarweb.

Jaunestar had always been a bit off-the-rails, since he was an apprentice, so Trickpaw had heard. Especially after Trickpaw's mother had died. But now, Trickpaw could see that his father was really going crazy. Doing evil shit just for the sake of doing evil shit.

He sighed and looked at the moon, which was just beginning to set. There were still several hours before his watch ended. Why does he have to do this again? What exactly does his father expect him to do if someone should attack? Him, of all cats, what is he to do?

He stood and paced the entrance to the nursery feverishly. The boredom was making his head hurt, and his muscles stiff.

Why does his father expect so much of him? He's only an apprentice. Still a kit in many cats' eyes, believed to have been pampered by his father as so many leaders' kits are. But why is it him that they think that of? Stingpaw of RiverClan is the son of Weststar, and he is treated like everyone else, mostly. Most of WindClan hates him for what his father did to Fallowstar.

Oh, there it is again. A kit being judged on the actions of its father.

Trickpaw sighed and sat down again. He was just a failure. That night in ThunderClan, when he wasn't even an apprentice yet, he tried his best to be the best, and he failed. He lost the Shadows to some whore in another clan. He could see it in her as she sat upon the GreatRock, could hear it in her voice when she spoke. It controlled her, mostly.

Trickpaw looked to the sky, at the stars. There was something interesting about that ThunderClan cat, Rockpaw. Trickpaw looked forward to seeing him again, because he could have sworn he saw a little bit of Darkness in his eyes.

 _(POV: Digger)_

Sorrelspot slept very gracefully, like he did everything else. Digger saw the way all the she-cats' eyes lingered on him, and he never seemed to notice. Either he didn't notice, or he didn't care, but Digger found it amusing.

He curled up with his tail under his nose, and slept without a sound or a movement, so that Digger wondered if he was even sleeping at all.

Digger had been told repeatedly that he snores, not by Sorrelspot but by the cats in his kithood home. Though he never knew what he was supposed to do about it. It wasn't like he was gonna stop breathing.

He sprawled out in his nest and whispered a prayer to StarClan, quiet enough that Sorrelspot couldn't hear if he was indeed awake, and he was asleep instantly, opening his eyes to find himself in the lush woodlands that were familiar to him, and had been familiar since his birth.

He took a moment to figure out where he was, and then he began travelling west, to the hollow where Trix spends his days.

It wasn't long before he reached the loose dirt where Trix plants his herbs and jumped deftly over it. He stopped walking when he reached the entrance to Trix's den.

"Trix?" He called.

There was only silence for a moment, and then a voice answered him.

"You must be Digger."

Digger turned quickly at the unfamiliar voice. He saw nothing at first, then spotted cat coming from behind a tree. Its fur was dark red and well-groomed, and black circles outlined luminous green eyes.

"Who are you?" Digger demanded.

"I am Red Ash," the cat said with a small bow. "I believe you've been asking questions about me."

Digger nodded.

"Well," the cat walked to him, "here I am. What are you trying to find out?"

Digger hesitated, and then answered. "Who you are, mostly. And what you have to do with Trickpaw."

"Oh." Red Ash smiled. "Is Trickpaw a friend of yours?"

Digger shook his head. "Quite the opposite, really."

"Then why are you asking about him?"

Digger began to answer but Red Ash cut him off.

"And how do you know about this?"

Digger faltered. "Hm?"

Red Ash leaned closer and said slower, "Who the hell told you about me?"

"Nobody did."

"Really?" he asked disbelievingly.

"I overheard a conversation is all."

The red tom took a moment to look in Digger's eyes, determine if he was lying or not.

"Whose conversation?"

Digger shrugged. "Two she-cats I've never met before. Um, Sky and Giri?"

Red Ash seemed to relax fractionally, before regaining his composure. "And now you're asking questions you shouldn't be."

"I'm just trying to understand what's going on," Digger defended himself.

"No, I think it's better if you don't understand," Red Ash said.

The sound of a twig breaking alerted them both, looking with ears perked and eyes vigilant. Digger turned back in the direction of Red Ash, but he was gone. He looked back at where the noise was coming from.

A black-and-grey cat with yellow eyes stepped into view.

"Digger," the cat said, "how are you?"

Digger looked back at where Red Ash had been standing. What did he mean when he said that it would be better if Digger didn't understand?

"Digger, are you okay?"

Digger looked up and smiled. "Oh, I'm fine, Trix. How are you?"

 _(POV: Dominique)_

Dominique stood on the edge of the WindClan border, with Waleri, Salerino, and Reid. The sun was beginning to rise in the east, the stars disappearing into the pink light.

Dominique took a breath, and wondered what carnage the clans had gotten themselves into while he was gone. How were Spiderstar and Weststar? Was Spiderstar even still leader? He was young, as this entire generation of leaders were, but far too reckless. Dominique considered the odds that he was dead, and, if so, if ThunderClan had let Cidersmoke ascend to leader. If that had happened, what kind of hell was he going to return to?

Jaunestar was the only leader he knew for sure would still be alive and the same. Psychotic as hell, and more obsessed with vengeance than Dominique was.

Well, there was really no use wondering, was there?

He took another breath, and then stepped over the border, into a whole other, bloodier, world.


	11. Chapter 9:: Stories That Must End

_"If I scare you now, don't run from me. I've been hiding my pain, you see..."_

 _-Decadence,_ Disturbed

Chapter 9:: Stories That Must End

Hawkstripe shivered as soon as he came out of his den, a little while after sunrise. He and Rockpaw had been assigned dawn patrol by Cedarclaw, presumably as petty punishment for their behavior the night before last. As "honorable" as Cedarclaw was, pettiness was one of his more favorable talents.

Hawkstripe had been going to wake Rockpaw up, but he as he exited the den, he saw that his apprentice was sitting alone in the middle of the camp, watching the sky.

"What are you doing?" Hawkstripe asked quietly, coming up behind him.

Rockpaw didn't move to acknowledge him in anyway. "Watching the sun rise," he eventually said.

"And how interesting is that?"

"Very interesting, actually."

Hawkstripe nodded. "Oh."

Both the toms sighed as an incredibly loud and and irritating voice cut into the peaceful quiet. "Oh, lookit that, you're already up."

Rockpaw and Hawkstripe both shared equal disdain for Silverfall. After Shatteredgaze left, Leaftail and Silverfall were together. When she died, Silverfall posed as their father for about half a moon, then decided to give up on a lost cause.

"I thought I'd have to be the one to wake you," Silverfall continued.

"No, I'm very capable of waking up myself," Hawkstripe answered. "It isn't really so hard, when I have such incessant nightmares."

"Oh." Silverfall blinked and looked over at Rockpaw. "Hello, Rockpaw."

"Hello, Silverfall."

He nodded, and then all three of them turned to the warriors' den as Cedarnose staggered out of it and Tigerwhisker strode gracefully behind him.

Silverfall nodded. "Eat something quick, and then we'll go."

"There's nothing to eat," Hawkstripe said. "It's leaf-bare, have you forgotten?"

Silverfall shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

He led the way to the exit with far too much self-importance.

Hawkstripe sighed, and then followed him. Rockpaw, as always, was just behind Hawkstripe.

Cold and sharp wind made the thin branches on the bushes shiver. The ground was covered in snow that Rockpaw's paws sunk into annoyingly. Keeping up with the patrol was made no easier by the brisk pace that Silverfall set to the RiverClan border.

ThunderClan had lost the SunnningRocks to RiverClan exactly eight days ago. Silverfall's patrol lingered at the treeline grudgingly, marking the false border, Silverfall making a point to ignore the RiverClan patrol on the other side.

Hawkstripe recognized Sharptooth, the RiverClan deputy that he despised more than he despised Kinkstar. He also recognized Aetherstripe and Hailshadow, two very dangerous cats in their own way. Aetherstripe wasn't particuarly deadly, but damn, he can fight. He could talk his way out of anything, if he set his mind to it.

If it were up to Hawkstripe, he would have stopped to strike up a conversation, but he understood Silverfall's wordless order very clearly, and he was too tired for the usual disobedience this morning.

Fortunately for Hawkstripe and unfortunately for Silverfall, Skytalon, a rather peculiar RiverClan warrior, called out to them.

"Hawkstripe! I missed you yesterday. You were at the Gathering, were you not?"

Silverfall glared at Hawkstripe, but he answered anyway.

"I was, Skytalon, but I didn't see you," Hawkstripe answered. He didn't like Skytalon too much. He was too unpredictable, and this friendly manner was completely unlike him. Obviously he wanted something.

"You seem tired, Hawkstripe," Skytalon commented.

"Well, nothing keeps you up at night like being at war," Hawkstripe replied.

Silverfall sighed and began to walk, and Hawkstripe followed the rest of the patrol. Skytalon followed them.

"I've heard that being in love will do the same thing to you." Skytalon walked along the border and followed them.

"Hm?" Hawskstripe stopped and so did Rockpaw. Tigerwhisker paused and looked back, but she decided to ignore the tugging of her heart and follow the rest of the patrol. Hawkstripe held Skytalon's gaze for a few seconds, but then looked away.

Skytalon smirked.

Hawkstripe turned away from him, looking at him from the corner of his eye and his tail swishing in suspicion. He walked off in the direction of Tigerwhisker. Rockpaw moved to do the same.

"And you must be Rockpaw," Skytalon said quickly, "who I've heard so much about."

Rockpaw stopped, and debated quickly whether he should follow Hawkstripe or stay to see what this cat wanted. Duty or curiosity.

He stayed put.

"You're so young," the RiverClan warrior continued. "But I can see that you aren't innocent. You've never shed blood, perhaps, but... No, you're not innocent."

"I've shed blood before," Rockpaw growled.

Skytalon chuckled. "Have you? Enough to kill a cat?"

Rockpaw was silent.

"That's what I thought. Now, young Rockpaw, do you know the punishment for, uh, mating with a cat from another clan?"

Rockpaw said nothing again, but wondered what the RiverClan warrior was getting at.

"It's death."

"Why are you telling me this?" Rockpaw asked, his voice sharp.

"Two things, really." He lowered his voice. "You should remind your beloved mentor of the penalty for love, before he goes and fucks his RiverClan bitch again."

Rockpaw growled and stepped forward, but was stopped by Skytalon.

"Uh-uh-uh," he tutted. "Now, once you have stepped over this absurd imaginary line, I have full leave to claw your heart out. And who's gonna stop me?"

Rockpaw stopped and looked into his eyes. "What was the second reason you're here?"

"You have the ShadowClan cat Justess as a hostage in your clan."

Rockpaw nodded and rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know."

"She wasn't born in the clans, and she wasn't taught by the clans. She was taught by different, bloodier cats, and she was taught to use any means necessary to escape capture."

"Meaning?"

Skytalon exhaled loudly. "Just watch yourself, young Rockpaw. Watch where your heart goes."

Rockpaw scoffed. "Why do you call Silverfawn a RiverClan bitch? You're a RiverClan cat, too."

"Am I?" He bared his fangs in a small smile. "You'd be surprised how fast a two-faced cat's loyalties can change. And with different loyalties, comes different enemies. Next time you see me, we might be friends."

Rockpaw snarled and got in Skytalon's face as much as his height would allow. "You and I will never be friends."

"Well, of course not. I bet it's rather fun being your enemy, in fact. But it's all in the politics, young Rockpaw."

" _Rockpaw_!"

The apprentice looked back, where Hawkstripe was much further away than he had intended to let him walk. He scurried to him immediately, and when he looked back, Skytalon had gone.

"What were you doing, talking to him?" Hawkstripe demanded.

"He had something to tell me."

"Well, what was it?"

Rockpaw went quiet.

Hawkstripe shook his head. "You need to learn when to listen, and when to walk away."

 _Perhaps_ , Rockpaw thought. _Or perhaps I've learned just what I needed to today._

 **...**

Weststar was lying on a rock by the side of a river, watching the clear water flow. His eyes regarded the water calmly, and he tried to pretend that it looked like the river from the Clans' forest, to pretend that he was home.

His reverie was interrupted by frantic runnng pawsteps crushing the delicate forest leaves. He turned his head, but didn't see any reason to find the effort to stand.

"Weststar!" A small grey she-cat burst from the bushes. The former RiverClan leader didn't recognize her. She bowed her head to him repectfully before speaking, in between gasping breaths.

"My name is... Snowpaw, and... I came on the or..ders of... Miso," she panted.

Weststar nodded and guestured patiently for Snowpaw to go on.

She took a moment to gain her breath when she spoke again, it was with more clarity but no less frantic.

"He told me to tell you that Dominique is back!"

Weststar stiffened. "Did Miso ask for me to come to him?"

Snowpaw nodded.

Weststar sighed and looked back to the water. _Dammit, Red Ash_ , he thought. _I hope you're smart enought to hide this time._

 **...**

Hawkstripe and Rockpaw were far behind the patrol, but no one stopped for them, and Rockpaw preferred it that way. He needed to talk to Hawkstripe.

"Hawkstripe," he said tentatively.

"Yeah, what?" Hawkstripe muttered. He was trying to be in a bad mood with Rockpaw, but could hardly muster the energy for it.

"Well, cats have been talking," he began.

"That's what they do, isn't it? It's all they ever do. They talk and then talk and then get into fights because of the things they say, and all the while they're still talking. I wish everyone would just shut up."

"Cats are talking about you and Silverfawn," Rockpaw continued quickly, and flinched as he waited for the berating that would surely come.

Hawkstripe stiffened. "Why are you bringing this up?"

Rockpaw shrugged. Hawkstripe sighed.

"I waste no time on the dead," he said after a long silence. "I... loved your mother, yes. I mourned her death and I moved on. And I..." he paused and considered his words. "I don't really think that Leaftail ever _actually_ loved anyone. Anyone, besides her kits. She moved on from Rustclaw, to me, to Shatteredgaze, to Silverfall like it all meant nothing to her. But she did love you, and whatever killed her was cruel to take that love away from you. You probably don't remember, the day that Leaftail died."

Rockpaw shook his head.

"There was no scent, no indication of anything out of the ordinary. Just... the dead body. You hid from the sight, as any normal kit would, but Whitepaw," he chuckled begrudgingly. "she just... stared.

"Anyway, Leaftail was dead and of course there will forever be a place for my heart for her, and all that sappy shit. Even though, I can't even remember why we loved her in the first place. Rustclaw remembers-or remembered-her as a perfect, beautiful. Just absolutely _flawless_. But she wasn't flawless, so much as lawless. She was a lot of things, really, and to tell you the truth, most of her was rotten and selfish. I can't believe it took me until her death to figure it out, figure out that there is one cat cat that is _so much better_ than she is. Not to mention, alive."

Rockpaw blinked and tried to keep a sharp comment from falling out of his mouth. If he said anything, then Hawkstripe would stop speaking, and Rockpaw needed to hear this.

"I understand why it's against the Warrior Code to be mates with a cat from another clan. Because our loyalties have to stay true to our own clan. A bunch of horseshit, really."

Rockpaw looked up at him. He was surprised that his mentor, who had always been so indestructable, was close to breaking down.

"The only thing that separates us from them is a boderline between our territories that changes every two moons," he said spitefully. "But I know that, as dutiful as I am, she is even more... Even more honorable, I guess. And therefore, what I want can never be, and I should let it go. _But I can't_. Not while she's still living and breathing.

"And she probably doesn't even feel the same way, either. After all, the rumours are that Hawkstripe is in love with Silverfawn, not the other way around." He sighed and swallowed. He gritted his teeth and didn't look his apprentice in the eyes. He'd never been afraid to admit it to himself, but he thought he'd never tell anyone this. He just couldn't help but tell Rockpaw, because he was just too much like his damn father. "Do you feel better now, Rockpaw?" He hissed. "Is your curiosity properly fulfilled yet?"

Rockpaw didn't answer, just turned away from the badly hidden anguish and spite in his voice.

Then all of the sudden, Hawkstripe stopped walking. Rockpaw also did, half a step ahead of him.

"What is it?" Rockpaw looked around. They were only a few tail-lengths from the camp entrance.

"Do you smell it?" Hawkstripe asked in a hushed voice.

Rockpaw sniffed the air. "Yes," he answered. It was a rather strange scent.

"More than one cat," Hawkstripe reported quietly. "Not clan cats."

Rockpaw nodded, and watched his mentor as he slowly crept forward, to the tunnel, following the smell. Rockpaw took a moment to muster some modicum of courage, and followed just as cautiously.

Hawkstripe perked his ears and stilled his breathing. Rockpaw noticed, and did the same, trying to hear what was going on.

After several seconds of hearing nothing, Hawkstripe exhaled sharply but subtley, and Rockpaw also did.

The ThunderClan warrior motioned for Rockpaw to stay put, and then slowly went further into the tunnel.

 **...**

Inside the camp, Dominique stood in the center of the camp along with his three companions: Waleri, Salerino, and Reid. Redwing, Tigerwhisker, Beeclaw, Snowsting, Swiftsong, Cedarclaw, Spidereye, Littleash, and Lightheart had fallen trying to expel him from the camp, and they laid on the ground with many injuries of different size and depth. Stonewhisker also, just because he was the medicine cat. The rest of the warriors had surrendered to Dominique, bleeding and broken. Whitepaw had ben hiding behind Cloudheart the entire time, and Ciderstar was nowhere to be seen.

When Hawkstripe began to listen, Dominique was in the middle of his speech of how he and his companions weren't here to harm any particular cat-mostly-and how he only wanted to see Leaftail and his kits.

"Well?" He asked when the clan was silent. "Where are they?"

He looked around the camp, searching for someone to answer his question. As his gaze circled around to the tunnel, Hawkstripe quickly ducked into the tunnel, but Dominique caught sight of him.

"Hawkstripe, is that you...? _Hawkstripe_!"

Hawkstripe looked back at Rockpaw. " _Run_ ," he mouthed, and reluctantly stepped out of the tunnel.

"Hawkstripe, you haven't changed a bit," Dominique remarked, stepping forward and looking Hawkstripe over. "Still... hiding in the shadows like a thief on the run. Is that scar new?"

"Shatteredgaze, I wish I could say it's nice to see you," Hawkstripe said drily.

"Dominique," Dominique corrected.

Hawkstripe flicked his ear. "Hm?"

"I am no longer a warrior. Shatteredgaze isn't my name anymore. My name is Dominique."

Hawkstripe nearly laughed. "Dominique? Wasn't that the name of a slave in Haelin?"

"Yes, exactly. She overpowered her masters, if I remember the story correctly, and burned down their world. So, Hawkstripe, since no one else apparently can tell me where Leaftail and my kits are, can you help a brother out?"

Hawkstripe ignored Dominique and looked behind him. "Who are your friends, Dominique?"

Dominique looked back at them. "Salerino, Waleri, and Reid." He looked back at Hawkstripe. "I asked you a question."

The ThunderClan warrior hesitated. Then, "I'm truly sorry to tell you this, but Leaftail is dead." He watched as Dominique stumbled in his routine. The light in his eyes changed and he blinked a few times.

"Um, what? Dead?" He took a moment to close his eyes and register the truth. _Dead._

His eyes opened again, into little more than slits of blue ice. "How?"

"Murdered."

"And _who_ was the murderer, Hawkstripe?" His voice was tense, and Hawkstripe understood the accusation in his voice.

"We never found the killer," he whispered.

"Never found the killer," Dominique scoffed. "But I bet I'm looking right at him." He shook his head. "Never found the killer." He laughed as if it were some sort of joke. "Just like they never found Goldkit's killer, and they never found Jaywing's killer. I'm starting to see a bit of a pattern here, aren't you?"

Hawkstripe closed his eyes and sighed. Only one of his accusations were true, but at this point he was beyond caring.

Dominique scoffed. "But you don't even really care, do you? You're crazier than I am."

Hawkstripe shrugged. "Maybe I am. But you've still got more blood on your claws than I do.

"Oh, well." Dominique shrugged. "What's one more death?"

Before Hawkstripe could defend himself, Dominique leapt onto him. They tussled on the ground, but Dominique was a large cat, lots of muscle, and Hawkstripe was known for his agility. So when it came to this wrestling match, a competition of raw strength, Dominique quickly got the advantage over Hawkstripe, and pinned him to the ground.

"You fucking bastard," he growled. Hawkstripe flinched away from the fangs in his face. "Today, you die." He hissed and prepared to bite down on Hawkstripe's throat.

" _No_! Hawkstripe!" Both toms turned their heads, and saw Rockpaw at the mouth of the tunnel, his eyes wide and panicked.

 _Now, who is this_ , Dominique silently mused. _Because he looks just like Leaftail..._

"Run, Rockpaw!" Hawkstripe shouted. His command was somewhat cut short by Dominique's teeth around his throat, and he howled in pain. Nobody moved to save him, caught in fear by Dominique's fire. Or perhaps they never cared much for Hawkstripe after all.

Rockpaw was frozen for a quick moment as he watched this cat, a stranger to his eyes, prepare to rip his mentor's throat out.

 _Run, Rockpaw!_ His command went through Rockpaw's head again, and he turned around and ran away, not sure where he was going, just that he needed to _go_.

He ran through the snow, and ran, and kept running, aware of nothing but the wind at his fur and his own ragged breathing. Time blurred like his vision, until a small tree root snagged his paw. He fell ass over paws and tumbled down a steep hill, yelping in pain and surprise. When he finally rolled to a stop at the bottom, he didn't move.

Now that he had a moment to think, he just couldn't believe himself. He should have helped Hawkstripe, instead of running like a frightened kit. But when he looked into the big white cat's fiery blue eyes, he had known, somehow, that this cat was no random rouge attacking the clans just for the fun of it. The evil in his eyes was unmistakable, but otherwise, Rockpaw had seen the exact same look in his sister's eyes a hundred times. He wasn't there on a whim. He was there for a specific purpose and his purpose was Rockpaw.

And Whitepaw, too. Although Rockpaw hadn't spoken more than four words to her since they became apprentices, he still felt that he should protect her, if only because they were siblings and it was expected of him.

In any case, he couldn't stay here much longer. They would follow his pawprints even if the snow masked his scent, and so he needed to keep moving. He stood, in pain and shivering. This must be the coldest he had ever been, with clumps of snow melting into his fur and the cold winds biting into him, knowing he couldn't return to the semi-warmth of his den. He took a single step, inhaled sharply in pain, and wobbled on his twisted paw for a moment before collapsing.

 _Where even am I?_ he thought, and looked around. He'd fallen to the bottom of the Fourtrees hollow, where the GreatRock stood many fox-lengths away from him.

Rockpaw sighed. He knew he wasn't actually going to get anywhere with his twisted paw, and StarClan knows how many strangers after him. But he braced himself for the pain, and stood again. Fighting through his own weakness, he managed to limp a few steps before falling again, and rolling down the slope, again.

 _Come on, Rockpaw_ , he chided himself. _What's the matter with you?_

 _My damn leg's broke_ , he answered himself back.

 _You need to get up this fucking slope._

 _I_ can't _._

 _You need to-for your duty to ThunderClan._

The very slightest bit of determination stirred in him.

 _Do it for your sister._

That seemed to motivate him further, but not so much.

 _For Hawkstripe. Or, his memory, by now._

He flinched, and the pain of Hawkstripe's death alone was enough to get him into an upright position.

 _Do it for your anger, and, most of all, for spite._

Rockpaw stood, taking gasping breaths. Step after tedious step, he fought his way halfway up the slope, when pawsteps against the frozen ground alerted him.

"Who's there?" A voice called.

"It smells like ThunderClan," another voice said quietly.

"No, it just smells like blood, fear, and pain," the first voice answered the second.

"You have your medicine cat nose and I have my warrior one."

The first cat sighed. "Hello... Who's there? We won't hurt you."

Rockpaw crouched low under a bit of shrubbery and was silent as the pawsteps came closer.

"My name is Fallpaw, and this is Stingpaw with me... Um, we're RiverClan, but we'll help you if you're hurt."

 _I'm not interested in your help_ , thought Rockpaw spitefully.

"Look, I know you're there. You don't need to hide."

Rockpaw took a breath. "I don't need your help. Go away."

"Fallpaw, we should go." Rockpaw could see them now, to his left. He was surprised they hadn't seen him yet. The barren bush he was under didn't offer much cover.

One of them looked in the direction of Rockpaw, and their eyes met. The ThunderClan apprentice tensed. The other of the RiverClan apprentices followed his companion's gaze and also saw Rockpaw.

 _Fuck_ , Rockpaw thought.

 _(POV: ThunderClan)_

"Dominique!" Waleri yelped.

Dominique didn't move.

"Dominique, get off him! You'll _kill_ him!"

Dominique gracelessly removed his teeth from Hawkstripe's throat and faced her. Hawkstripe weakly coughed, bleeding, and attempted to get up, but Dominique pressed his claws down on the warrior's chest as he spoke: "Don't you know who he is? He's fucking _Hawkstripe_ , and he deserves it! You know he deserves it!"

"You never said you were going to _kill_ anyone!"

"Well, so what?" Dominique released Hawkstripe and stalked toward her. "I _am_. I'm going to kill anyone who _I_ think deserves it, and this fucker right here? He fucking deserves it. If you don't have the stomach for it, then you can go right back to where you came from. I'm not sure why I kept you anyway," he continued dismissively. "It was your fault that Loreley died."

He turned to Hawkstripe, who was struggling to sit up, gasping and choking. He coughed roughly, vomiting the blood he'd been choking on. He looked at Dominique with his eyes narrowed in anger.

"So, this Rockpaw," Dominique began, "I'm guessing that he's my son?"

Hawkstripe didn't answer.

"Was he the only one?"

Hawkstripe didn't answer.

"No, Rockpaw isn't the only one."

All heads turned at the voice. Whitepaw stepped forward. "My name is Whitepaw. I believe I am your kit."

Dominique studied her appraisingly. "Oh, yes. A warrior apprentice, I can see."

She shook her head very slightly.

"A medicine cat?"

She shrugged slightly. She was trying to hide it, but her breathing was becoming increasingly panicked.

Hawkstripe sighed, coughed, and dropped his head. How long until Rockpaw decided to come back to the clan and fight Dominique, and then potentially get himself killed? It's what Hawkstripe would do, if only to avoid the guilt of running away, and the shame of being called a coward.

"How far into training are you?" Dominique asked his daughter.

"Three moons, about."

"Good. That means there's time enough to turn you into a warrior."

"A warrior?" Whitepaw was confused. "Every clan needs a medicine cat. It's a great honor."

"Yes, a great honor. Not for my daughter, though. My daughter will have the honor of being one of the three greatest warriors in the clans. In the _world_."

"No, I-" She swallowed. "I was born to fix cats, not to _break_ them."

"I will hear no more of this. Are you squeamish around blood? Is that it?"

"Of course I'm not squeamish around blood. I just hate those who shed it needlessly."

Dominique smirked. "I don't shed blood without reason."

"Then why are you killing Hawkstripe?"

"You don't know what he did, do you? None of you do."

"I know that he killed Leaftail."

Hawkstripe shook his head again. _Dammit._

"Well, other than that," Dominique answered, "you have no idea what he's done."

"Well, then, tell me."

Dominique looked back at Hawkstripe, who was finding it harder and harder to stay upright. "Maybe another time."

"Well, it still doesn't matter. Two wrongs don't make a right."

His eyes flashed. "You have some courage, standing up to me the way you are. Why is it that you think you can talk back to me like that?"

Whitepaw faltered.

"You shouldn't have told me who you are. Should've stayed anonymous while you could. Though I'm sure one of your clanmates would have given you up eventually, if I'd tortured them enough. Tell me, is Rockpaw as courageous as you?"

Whitepaw kind of snarled. "Rockpaw's a coward. I wouldn't have run, I would've killed the cat who tried to murder my friend. Or tried to, at least."

"Do you want to kill me, for murdering Hawkstripe?"

"Hawkstripe is far from being my friend. I don't approve of you killing him, but I won't go to a length to stop you."

"What about your mentor? I cut him apart. He's barely three tail-lengths from you right now, bleeding to death. Do you want to kill me for that?"

 _Oh, great_ , Hawkstripe thought.

Whitepaw was silent as far as words go, letting her eyes speak for her.

Dominique whipped around to face Hawkstripe. "Good."

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

The two RiverClan apprentices began to walk to Rockpaw, and he scuttled out from under the bush.

"No, stop!" The smaller one called. "We won't hurt you!"

"I don't care!" Rockpaw called back, but his retreat was rather ineffective. He slumped to the ground and his vision began to darken. The other apprentices were at his side in an instant. "Leave me alone," he groaned.

"Stingpaw, you need to help me get him up," the brown-and-white apprentice said. "Here, lean on my shoulder." He looked at Rockpaw expectantly.

Rockpaw glared at him suspiciously, and then dropped his gaze. If he didn't accept their help, then what? He would either be hunted down by Shatteredgaze, or die from the his wounds, or the cold, or some predator that may be cat or otherwise. If he did allow their assistance, then he would have to go to RiverClan. He sure as hell couldn't go back home.

Did he even have a choice, anyway?

He rose defeatedly, and leaned on the one of the apprentice's shoulder for balance, before he could collapse again.

"What's your name again?" He asked the apprentice.

"Fallpaw," he answered. "And yours?"

"Rockpaw." He looked at the other apprentice. "You?"

"Stingpaw."

"Oh, Weststar's kit."

"And you're Leaftail and Shatteredgaze's kit, also the famously damaged warrior, Hawkstripe's, new apprentice, as well as the new best friend of a known kit-stealer, Trickpaw."

Rockpaw shrugged, and then winced in pain. "If a cat is going to be judged on anything, it shouldn't be who their parents were, or its mentor."

"Fair enough," Stingpaw said. "As for your newfound friendship with scum like Trickpaw, I think I can judge you based on that."

"Politics are politics," Rockpaw answered back. "Trickpaw may be a bastard, but he holds a powerful position as the leader's son. It's always good to have friends in other clans."

Stingpaw snorted. "Forgive me, but you don't seem the friendly type."

Rockpaw smiled.

 _(POV: Whitepaw)_

Hawkstripe's blood stained the snow as Whitepaw watched. She wished she could say that it was no less gruesome than when her father and his followers tore apart Stonewhisker and the other warriors, but it was far worse. Hawkstripe's screeches of pain weren't even the worst part. It was watching Dominique, as he enjoyed the entire process, licking off the blood on his muzzle, tearing him apart with his claws.

He'd sent one of his cats, Salerino, to search for Rockpaw. Hawkstripe had watched that exchange with dread, and fear for Rockpaw. The other ThunderClan warriors were mostly trying their best to look inconspicuous, as their clanmates bled out on the ground. Whitepaw guessed that Snowsting, Yarrowfur, and Littleash were already dead. Redwing and Tigerwhisker were breathing faintly, and Lightheart had dragged herself over to lie next to Tigerwhisker, her sister.

A sob threatened to escape Whitepaw's throat, and she halted her breathing to stay silent. Blood didn't make her squeamish, it made her despair. All she wanted to do was to stop it, to stop blood from ever flowing onto the ground again. She wanted to _fix it all_.

Hawkstripe fought as much as he could, but Dominique would have been too much for him even with there not being a gaping hole in his throat. When Hawkstripe stood, literally his last stand, Dominique slashed his throat, viciously. The warrior fell to the ground, coughing up copious amounts of blood before he went still.

Whitepaw watched. She stared at him with her face blank, all but her eyes that were wet with tears. They weren't tears for Hawkstripe's loss, particuarliy, but for a loss of any life. And she knew how clueless Rockpaw was about Hawkstripe's deeds. He looked up to him, and so she also wept for her brother, who lost a dear friend this day.

Her gaze met Dominique's. The sheer lunacy in his eyes made her shrink back. Without thinking, she spun around and ran for the back entrance that led to the dirtplace. _Anything_ to get her away from the blood, and the pain, and the death. She broke into open space and ran faster than she ever had.

"After her," Dominique told Reid disaffectedly.

Reid hesitated.

" _Now_!"

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

Fallpaw, Rockpaw, and Stingpaw were on RiverClan land, and Rockpaw was beginning to feel very, very nervous.

"Don't be nervous," Fallpaw said. "I'm a medicine cat, pledged to help cats of all clans."

"But, of course, you are ThunderClan," Stingpaw said. "And this is RiverClan. I do believe you are heading into the bees' nest."

Rockpaw remembered Skytalon and shivered.

"Stingpaw, we don't always need your input," Fallpaw scolded.

"It's only the truth, Fallpaw. There's nothing wrong with a little truth."

"I'm not nervous," Rockpaw declared. "If anyone tries to kill me, I'll kill them first, simple."

Stingpaw laughed. "You really are Hawkstripe's apprentice, aren't you?"

 _Hawkstripe._ Rockpaw swallowed a sob and looked straight ahead. " _Was_ Hawkstripe's apprentice."

"Hm? What do you mean?" Fallpaw looked over at him.

Rockpaw took a breath. "Hawkstripe is dead."

Fallpaw stumbled and Rockpaw, who was leaning on him, barely stopped himself from falling.

"What? Hawkstripe is dead?"

Rockpaw nodded.

"How? Since when?"

"I don't know, twenty minutes ago," Rockpaw answered.

Stingpaw scoffed.

"What?" Rockpaw asked him defensively.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. It's just, he always acted like he would never die. I never expected him to. I don't think anyone did."

"Did you actually see it happen?" Fallpaw asked.

Rockpaw shook his head. "I saw enough. A cat's teeth around his throat."

"And what?" Stingpaw asked. "You just ran?"

"He told me to."

"Why?"

"The cat that murdered him was my blood father, Shatteredgaze. He attacked the camp with some other well-trained cats and they took the clan over, I assume. Hawkstripe didn't want me to be captured by Shatteredgaze, like my sister no doubt already is."

Fallpaw and Stingpaw stared at him in shock.

"I will ask Kinkstar to let you stay in RiverClan until we can get this sorted out," Fallpaw told him after a pause. "Only if you want me to, of course."

"I suppose I'd appreciate it," Rockpaw said, and they went on their way again.

Further into the territory, they were stopped by a patrol of six warriors, surrounding them. They seemed to appear from the shadows; one moment the way was clear and the next, the immediate area was surrounded by enemies. Rockpaw stopped nervously, along with Fallpaw and Stingpaw.

"Fallpaw, what've you got this time?" A lean white tom with grey stripes and cold, cold mismatched eyes asked. His slight frame and light fur matched perfectly with the leaf-bare colors around them, and his voice was like a cold breeze in the air. Quiet and sinful.

"A ThunderClan apprentice who's gotten hurt bad," Fallpaw answered.

"Well, why did you have to bring him here? Why didn't you bring him back to his own clan?"

Stingpaw stepped forward this time. "He can't go back to his clan."

"What is he, some kind of outlaw?" The warrior smiled slightly.

Stingpaw shrugged. "Something like that."

The warrior turned to Rockpaw. "What's your name?"

"What's yours?" Rockpaw retorted.

The warrior flicked his tail once. "Hailshadow."

Rockpaw dipped his head. "Mine's Rockpaw."

"Oh. Hawkstripe's new apprentice. Can't go back to your clan, eh?"

Rockpaw shook his head. "Not at the moment."

"Well, like father, like son, I believe. One outlaw after another. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised. After all, we all saw what happened to Swan's Night."

"Hawkstripe is dead," Rockpaw said.

This made Hailshadow falter. "Dead? How? When?"

"With all due respect, I'd rather just tell your leader, and this will all get sorted out a whole lot faster."

Hailshadow's gaze flicked to a black-furred, brown-eyed warrior to Rockpaw's right. He nodded, and then so did Hailshadow.

"Stingpaw, you can help Rockpaw to the camp," he said. "Fallpaw looks tired."

Stingpaw nodded and took Fallpaw's place at Rockpaw's side.

"Lukas, come with me back to camp. The rest of you, continue with the patrol."

The black-furred tom nodded and the rest of the patrol hesitantly walked away, whispering to each other.

"Let's see which mood Kinkstar is in today," Stingpaw said softly by Rockpaw's ear. "Suicidal lunatic, psychopathic asshat, or sympathetic philosophor."

Rockpaw blinked and then looked straight ahead. "It doesn't matter. I'll be dead anyway, before leaf-bare's over."

Stingpaw looked at him in surprise, and then gave a light laugh. He began to walk, and Rockpaw had no choice but to walk with him.

The RiverClan camp was very different from the ThunderClan camp. Rockpaw never thought he'd be here, at another clan's camp, long enough to appreciate it, appreciate the different ways the different clans survive. Least of all, RiverClan's.

He entered with very little grace, with one paw beyond use and the rest of his body bruised and scratched.

There weren't many cats in the camp this time of day, neary sunhigh, but Rockpaw saw Skytalon, the bastard, speaking idly with a warrior whose fur was many different shades of brown. They both stopped speaking and looked up as Hailshadow's patrol entered.

Rockpaw looked to his right and saw the smallish silver tom that he recognized as Kinkstar talking with an old black tom. Their conversation also ended as Rockpaw came into the camp.

"Hailshadow, Lukas, what the hell?" He quickly stood and came over to them. "This smells like blood and ThunderClan. Why?"

Hailshadow shrugged. "Ask Fallpaw and Stingpaw."

Kinkstar's eyes turned to them as he closed the distance between them.

"Stingpaw and I found him hurt at Fourtrees," Fallpaw said. "We couldn't leave him there, in the snow, with his leg and ribs broken."

"Why didn't you bring him to the ThunderClan camp? Why is he _here_?"

Rockpaw hobbled forward, and both Stingpaw and Fallpaw quickly stepped forward to support him. "My apologies, Kinkstar, but I cannot return to ThunderClan," he said.

Kinkstar looked him over and flicked his ear more than once. "What's your name?"

"Rockpaw."

"Oh," Kinkstar chuckled, clearly amused for whatever reason. "An outlaw, then? Where's Hawkstripe? I'm told that where ever he goes, you follow."

"Hawkstripe is dead. I can't exactly follow him there."

This made Kinkstar falter. "Dead? Already?"

Rockpaw nodded the affirmative.

"I'm sorry to hear that. You've already lost your mother, and your father..." He exhaled.

"Actually, my father is the reason why I can't go back home."

This made Kinkstar falter again. "Hm?"

"Shatteredgaze is back. Hawkstripe died protecting me from him. I cannot return to ThunderClan while Shatteredgaze is in charge."

Kinkstar nodded slowly. "Oh, really?" He looked to Hailshadow, who shrugged, then the black-furred tom, Lukas. Lukas nodded once.

"Of course, you could be a spy," Kinkstar muttered, looking off to the side. "Sent to... kill me. Steal my kits, devastate my camp, murder my warriors. After all, we all know how close you are with Trickpaw of ShadowClan."

Fallpaw stepped forward and began to speak, but Rockpaw talked over him.

"I am the son of a traitor, Kinkstar. ThunderClan doesn't trust me, not as far as any of them could... piss in a hurricane."

Kinkstar looked at Hailshadow again, and he nodded. Then Kinkstar nodded.

"Then you may stay, until we get this all sorted out. Fallpaw, get his leg healed."

Fallpaw nodded and led Rockpaw and Stingpaw to the medicine den.

 _(POV: Whitepaw)_

Whitepaw ran aboout halfway to the WindClan border until she had to stop and catch her breath. She knew she was being pursuited; it was obvious that this Dominique wouldn't let both his kits run off, not without a fight.

She choked on her own saliva as she fought for breath, and tried to get her thoughts together.

Hawkstripe was dead. She saw it with her own eyes. Half of her clan would be dead before long. Their wounds would fester, and the infection would reach deep into their body and kill them slow. The rest of the cats would follow quite soon. Dominique was quite clearly insane.

Whitepaw raised her head and looked around. Why was she heading for WindClan in the first place? Tigerstar had always been sympathetic with Jaunestar, and had sided with him more than once. Now that ThunderClan and ShadowClan were at war, WindClan was one of the last places she should be. She should be heading straight for RiverClan. Not that Kinkstar had ever been particuarily _helpful_ to ThunderClan, but it was the best choice.

But she was already halfway to WindClan, and she sensed that she should get going again. She looked behind her, but the leaf-bare forest was as silent as ever. She took one last deep breath, and then began running east again.

And she began to wonder, would she ever see her home again?


	12. Chapter 10:: Something New

**Didn't really have time to read this all the way over, but here it is. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _"Death is an old friend of mine."_

 _Old Friend_ , Disturbed

Chapter 10:: Something New

Whitepaw reached the WindClan border and didn't hesitate to run across it. She only stopped once she was several tail-lengths away from the border, coughing and trying unsuccessfully to breathe.

She should keep moving. She needs to keep moving... No one can find her. No one ever will. No one ever can. She'll run. She'll run past WindClan, past the Moonstone, and they'll never find her over the mountains.

But then what? The only thing she knows how to hunt is plant leaves. Of course, she knows of an herb that holds off hunger for a considerable amount of time, that medicine cats give warriors who are going to the Moonstone, but is she only to eat that for the rest of her life?

It seemed the only thing for her to do was to swallow her pride and go to WindClan for help. Hopefully Tigerstar wouldn't send her away. She supposed the worst case scenario was that Tigerstar would sell her to her father, in return only asking that Dominique stay on his own side of the border.

The thought almost made her turn around and head for RiverClan territory.

If no one else, Digger and Sorrelspot would vouch for her. And if not, then she would just have to find another way.

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

Rockpaw was led to the medicine den, where he expected to live in for a very long time yet. It felt like everything in him was broken, physically and otherwise. How many cats had Shatteredgaze killed already? He hoped that Willowpaw wasn't dead. Rockpaw wanted her death to be by his own claws.

And Justess, the prisoner? Has she been freed? Back in ShadowClan, to tell Jaunestar the horribly weak state of ThunderClan?

" _Ow_!" Rockpaw exclaimed as Fallpaw prodded his side with one claw.

"Hold still!" Fallpaw swished his tail.

Rockpaw obeyed, but asked: "Wouldn't your mentor be better for a job like this?"

Fallpaw scoffed. "Trust me, you don't want him doing this."

"Why?"

"Well, because he doesn't like outsiders. StarClan knows he still doesn't like Lukas, Caesar, or Skytalon."

Rockpaw nodded, and then exclaimed in pain again as Fallpaw poked his ribs.

"Damn, Rockpaw," he commented. "I know it's leafbare, but you haven't been getting nearly enough to eat."

Rockpaw shrugged.

"Hold still, I said!" Fallpaw snapped.

A short laugh came from the entrance, and Rockpaw and Fallpaw both looked. They saw a thin, brown-furred cat come into the den. As he came closer, Rockpaw saw that he had black ear tips, and a scar across his left eye.

"Well, Fallpaw, it seems you're going to have your hands full with this one," the cat said. "But what d'you expect, helpin' every broken soul you find on the road?" He looked at Rockpaw. "Sorry, I should've introduced myself. The name's Caesar."

Rockpaw inclined his head. Caesar, the forgeiner. Even without any background information, Rockpaw would have been able to tell he wasn't from around here. His accent was unlike anything Rockpaw had ever heard before.

"And you're Rockpaw, the son of a legend."

Rockpaw shrugged.

"Although, not so much of a legend anymore, is he?"

Rockpaw shrugged again.

"Caesar, I'm trying to work here," Fallpaw complained. "Was there something I could help you with?"

The brown tom shook his head. "No, not at the moment. Well, I guess I'll leave you to it." And he left the den, his tail swishing behind him.

"What a strange cat," Rockpaw remarked, swishing his tail once.

Fallpaw shrugged. "Once a Southerner, always a Southerner."

"Southerner?" Rockpaw gasped. A real live Southerner, standing in front of him and speaking directly to him? And he hadn't even noticed?

Fallpaw nodded. "The only Southerner in the Clans, most likely. Isn't there an Eastern she-cat in your clan?"

Rockpaw nodded. "Yeah, Russetnight."

"Yeah, that's the one." Fallpaw turned to a small enclave in the den and went through some of the herbs. He set some leaves by Rockpaw and then looked his wounds over again.

"I'll be back shortly," he said. "Don't move."

Rockpaw watched Fallpaw hurry out of the den, and wondered how RiverClan was so different from ThunderClan. He couldn't explain it, but even just being here in this camp for less than ten minutes, and even though he'd only known Fallpaw and Stingpaw for the slightest bit more than that, he was beginning to feel like he belonged here. He felt better than he ever had in his whole life in ThunderClan.

He felt so free, with the burden of Whitepaw lifted from his back. Even though his ribs were cracked and his body bruised, he could finally _breathe_. But as soon as he was free of Whitepaw's weight, the weight of Hawkstripe's death slammed into him, and the pain was then worse than it had ever been before.

 _(Whitepaw's POV)_

" _Stop_! Who's there?"

Whitepaw halted her limping steps. "Whitepaw, the ThunderClan medicine cat," she said in a trembling voice.

Three cats proceeded to show themselves from behind a cluster of dry, leafless bushes. Whitepaw couldn't see how it was they hid themselves from her so successfully with so little cover.

"A medicine cat apprentice without her mentor," the ginger tom in the middle said. "What could she be doing here?"

"Stonewhisker is dead," Whitepaw answered. It shocked her to say this as well as it shocked the ginger tom. She hadn't realized that she was thinking it until she said it out loud.

"Dead? How? ShadowClan?"

Whitepaw shook her head. "He, along with many other warriors including Hawkstripe and Cedarclaw, were murdered by Shatteredgaze."

And just as soon as she said this, the cat's shock turned into distrust.

"Shatteredgaze?" He asked. "Like hell."

"I'm telling you, it's the truth. He came into our camp this morning, telling us that his name was now Dominique. Be brought with him three other cats, strangers. He killed many of our warriors, and the only medicine cat that he knew of. He killed Hawkstripe and my brother and I escaped. I don't even know where he went."

One of the other warriors next to the ginger, a sleek-furred tortoseishell she-cat, spoke up. "If this is true, then answer me this: why you would run from your own father? Isn't this a dream come true, that you've finally met your father?"

"Maybe I did used to dream that," Whitepaw said. "But if I did, then that went out of me a long time ago."

"He could be sending you to distract us while he attacks. You could be a spy," a dark grey she-cat said.

Whitepaw shook her head. "Please, believe me." She stepped forward, and that was the moment her injured leg decided to give out. _Fuck_ , she thought. She couldn't even remember how she'd hurt her leg, but she figured her ribs must hurt from all the running.

"Shiverleaf, help her!" The tortoseishell she-cat lurched forward to catch Whitepaw.

"Petalshade!" The ginger tom exclaimed.

"She's a medicine cat, Shiverleaf. She's sworn to bring no cat any harm," the she-cat, Petalshade protested, helping Whitepaw find her paws again.

"She's only an apprentice!" Shiverleaf retorted.

"Exactly! She's only an apprentice! She needs _help_ right now, not an interrogation."

At that moment, a cat's yowl cut through the air as the white-furred tom that Dominique sent after Whitepaw jumped onto the dark grey she-cat. Whitepaw shrieked in fear and surprise, a second before her instincts kicked in and she scuttled away.

 _Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck..._

She didn't get very far.

She felt claws dig into her side as the white cat knocked her over. She attempted to get back up, but felt a paw on her throat. Not a particuarlily large paw, but strong enough to keep her down.

"Get the hell off of me," she shrieked.

"Oh, please quit struggling," the white tom growled. "This'll be easier for me and it'll be easier for you if you come quietly."

"Fuck off!" She put all her strength behind a frantic swipe to his face. As he hit her, his grip on her throat loosened just long enough to throw him off her, and she ran off again.

"Fucking whore," the white cat muttered, and momentarily wondered how loyal he really was to Dominique and his band of psychopaths.

"Hey, asshole!"

He looked back, at the ginger tom, whose throat he thought he'd slashed open. The blood spilled from his throat and matted his chest, but the cut hadn't been deep enough to kill him.

 _Oh, hell_ , he thought. At this point he could either run away, or fight a fight that would more than likely wind up with him getting killed. Or he could surrender and let himself be captured. He'd heard about these clan cats, that they were incredibly merciful when the occasion aroused. Although, if Dominique was an example of such mercy, then he was right out of luck.

He sighed.

 _Fuck._

 _(POV: Nigel)_

There was one rule about becoming a leader of a clan that Nigel was never clear on: If a leader were to leave his clan, would he still have multiple lives, or would they be taken away? He hadn't had any strange dreams of dead cats ripping parts of his soul away, and there was never an occasion in which Nigel was able to effectively answer that question.

It was a question he'd been pondering as of late, but as far as he knew, there was no risk-free way of finding out.

It was sunhigh, and Nigel was out taking a nice, peaceful walk with Saohei. They exchanged a considerable amount of small talk, before Nigel finally got to the point.

"So, how much do you know about where I came from?" He asked.

Saohei shrugged. "It's kinda like where I came from, just less... you know, bloody."

Nigel shrugged and nodded. "That's right, I guess."

"Why do you ask?"

"Because..." Nigel took a breath. "Because I'm going to go and take my clan back very soon."

Saohei glanced at him in surprise. "What?"

"I'm going back. I... I miss it."

"And... you want me to come with you?"

"Well, now that you mention it, that would be nice." He laughed dryly.

Saohei scoffed. "Well, I'll be damned."

"Come on, Saohei, aren't you bored of this place? Same old place, same old cats, never changing? When was the last time you had a bit of action?"

"Well, maybe I like not having to fight. Maybe I'd like a bit of peace."

"Oh, please, Saohei. You're not that old yet." Saohei gave him a look. "Don't you think it's time to live to your true potential?"

Saohei sighed as he thought it over for all of three seconds. Then he shook his head. "No."

Nigel stammered. "Um, what?"

"No, I don't want to come with you. I'm not like you and Sergei and Jiriska. I've had enough violence in my life. I just wanna live the rest of my days in peace, you know?"

"So, you're telling me, you don't miss it? Not at all?"

Saohei swallowed and prepared himself for the lie that he had to painfully choke out. "No, I don't miss killing."

Nigel sighed, obviously disappointed. "Well, know then, that the option will always be open." And he walked away.

Saohei sighed. Fucking Nigel, he always had a way of resurfacing all of Saohei's worst and best memories. Fuck yeah, he missed the way blood flowed around him, and the sour smell of death that clouded the air, and the way the mountains that were his home glowed radiantly in the sunset. But if he entered the battlefield, there would be no stopping him this time. And kits would cry for their mothers, and cats would watch their loved ones die, and he just wouldn't stop. He loved it. God, he loved it. But he hated himself for loving it. He hated himself for wanting it.

So, pacifism it was. Though he hated himself for that, too.

 **...**

There was a she-cat in Nigel's forest that he admired. In the old stories, females were always the death of the great heroes' valiant quests. Nigel feared that his own quest, although not entirely valiant, would abruptly end at one word from this she-cat.

He headed towards her den in the dim light of twilight. Now, as much as he adored her, he was quite sure that she didn't feel the same way. She'd always been distanced from the rest of the cats here, often going off on her own to watch the sky. Nigel loved the way the light of the stars shone in her green eyes.

As he reached her den, he called out her name softly. "Whisper?"

A small silence followed.

"Yes?"

"It's Nigel."

"I know. What do you want?"

"Just to talk to you."

She emerged from her den, her grey fur just a shadow. "About?"

"Well, I'll be leaving soon."

"So I've heard. Jiriska and Saohei have already turned down your offer to go with you, apparently. Come to try your luck with me?"

Nigel nodded, and waited expectantly.

"Look, I'm sorry, Nigel. I've heard about clan life. It's just really not for me."

"Well, what have you heard?"

"Lots about murder, really."

"What? Get nervous around blood or something?"

Whisper's voice immediately got defensive. "No. Of course not. It's just, the idea that you're supposed to expect these cats, known back-stabbers, to watch your back for you? Stand up for you?" She shook her head. "No. Not for me. Maybe for you, but not me."

Nigel looked down at his paws. "If you came with me. I would watch your back. I'd make sure no one hurt you."

Whisper flicked her tail. "I'm sure you would. But no, I don't think I could."

"Well." Nigel sighed. "I guess I couldn't either."

"Hm?" She tilted her head.

Nigel took a breath before expanding. "I couldn't leave without you, Whisper." His voice shook.

Whisper shuffled her paws uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, Nigel."

Nigel nodded. "No, I get it. I really do, no worries." He turned away from her dejectedly. "Bye, Whisper."

 _Dammit_ , he thought as he walked away. That could not have gone worse. Though, his love life had never really been great. The she-cat he had a crush on when he was an apprentice, dead. His mate when he was a warrior, dead. His mate when he was leader of WindClan was just using him. She became deputy, and tried to betray him and take over the clan. She wound up very, very dead.

What a fucking disaster.

But would he let her rejection stop him? Rethinking his earlier decision, he wondered if he would let a female, of all things, ruin it all. Fallowstar might've let her. But he wasn't Fallowstar anymore. He was Nigel. Would Nigel let _anything_ stop him?

Fuck, no. The only thing that was going to stop him was his body being buried six feet under.

He let out a small laugh. Lose his greatest oppurtunity in years, over a fucking she-cat?

Like hell.

He was going to take his old, boring, life, and turn it inside out. He was going to replace it with something _new_.

Something... _fun_.


	13. Chapter 10 point 5:: Delusion

Hello people! So this is a crappy little author's note (god I hate these), because there are some things that need to be known. First of all, this is being written very hastily on a phone, so sorry for any idiotic autocorrect bullcrap that I might not notice. More importantly, I'm afraid I won't be writing again for a while. The first five weeks of school have gone by, and I'm already failing one of the only two honors classes I have left. Until the semester ends, I won't be writing again. Unless, of course, I can get back on my feet really quick. Give it a week or two. This isn't the last of me, unless I get shanked in the street tomorrow.

And now a bit of story so as to not offend all the strict rule followers out there:

* * *

 _"Why, your soul's gone cold, and your hope has run dry."_

 _-Decadence_ , Disturbed

 **Chapter 10 1/2:: Delusion**

I walked slowly into the small sandy clearing. They're cheering me on, though it doesn't help my confidence. He's big, my opponent, but I've been advised not to underestimate his speed. His name is Devon. He's older than me. If he was a clan cat, he would be a warrior. But I'm the only clan cat here, which is a source of hatred for some, but others have placed their bet on me because they've heard clan cats are some of the best fighters.

Dregor, the cat who's hosting the battles on his land this time, makes his way to the center of the small clearing. I wonder how I got into a crowd like this.

I also wonder how I'm supposed to concentrate when they're this loud, and for a moment I disdain of their cheering, although every time I'm among the spectators, I'm just as loud.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Hawkpaw?" Dregor asks me as he passes. I nod, and he carries on.

"And now for our second-to-last fight for the night, Hawkpaw-" a loud cheer cuts his words off- "an apprentice from ThunderClan, and Devon-" a slightly quieter cheer interrupts him- "a stranger from... Somewhere south of here. Remember boys, tonight is _not_ a fight to the death. I won't have any deaths on my territory to answer for."

Both me and Devon nod, and Dregor flicks his tail and scampers out of the clearing. Me and Devon look at each other.

He's expecting me to make the rookie mistake of making the first move. I won't. He shrugs and then the fight begins.

It barely lasts five minutes. He's fast, but I'm surprised to find that I'm faster. It's all just a blur. I'm quite used to battle by now. I forget that I'm nervous, and when I fight it's like I'm an entirely different cat.

And when Dregor announces me as the winner, I look around. Everything is what I expected to see, except for the familiar white pelt next to a scuzzy grey tom. I look at the white tom in surprise, and he only smirks.

After the last battle of the night is announced, I shake Dregor off of my shoulder and go over to him.

"Shatteredpaw, what the hell are you doing here?" I shout over the crowd.

"Well, you've been going on an awful lot of 'walks' lately. I wanted to see where you were going. And damn, Hawkpaw," he looked around. "You've picked one hell of a crowd."

I look around as well, and I see his point clearly. "Maybe we should get out of here," I suggest.

"Hm?" Shatteredpaw had become distracted by the fight.

"We should leave before it ends. It wouldn't be the first time I've gotten jumped."

Shatteredpaw tilted his head. "Why?"

"Well, why not?" I look around, and this time make eye contact with at least three different cats, all of them looking menacing.

Shatteredpaw shrugs. "But I want to see this fight. I like this guy's style."

I also look. "Whose?"

"The brown one, with black ear tips."

"Oh, I know him. He tried to kill me once. He's a Southerner."

"A Southerner?" Shatteredpaw says in surprise. "A Southerner tried to kill you and you survived?"

I nod. "He's actually quite good. Luckily there was that battle with RiverClan almost as soon as I got back, so I had an excuse for the injuries."

Shatteredpaw shook his head. "You know, I have to be offended that you didn't tell me about this."

I nod. "Look, we need to leave. Can you wait 'till we're home to lecture me?" And I begin walking away.

He follows, but with one eye on the fight. "Who's he going against?"

I spare a glance back at the fight. "Didier from the city just west of here."

Shatteredpaw nods. "Interesting."

"Come _on_." I weave my way through the crowd with him following.

We make it out and into the trees. I start walking east, eager to get away from this place. I take a different route home each night to ensure no one ambushes me. However, I'm painfully aware of Shatteredpaw's stark white pelt in the darkness.

I hate him. I always have. He's strong, he's charismatic, he has a way with she-cats, and Leafpaw loves him. Me, I'm a good fighter. I'm good at sarcasm, and I'm good at making political "friends." I'm good at having others owe me favors, I learned it from the group of cats I just left.

What I'm not good at? Love. I'm not sure how the hell love is supposed to work, and that's why me and Leafpaw will never work.

Nothing ever works the way it's supposed to. All of it, it's just delusion. Nobody is fit to lead anyone else, and there's nothing to be fixed.

Anyways, you can't fix something that doesn't feel.


	14. Chapter 11:: So Cold

**Hey, guys, I'm back! Guess it didn't take as long as I thought it would to get caught up in my classes.**

 **So, here's chapter 11. Not much happens, so I promise a quick update for Chapter 12. Also, I know the last update wasn't really so realistic or logical, but honestly, what about this story is logical? Like, everybody is psycho. Welcome to my imagination, lol.**

 **Anyway, here it is, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 _"You're so cold, but you feel alive. Lay your hand on me one last time..."_

 _-So Cold,_ Breaking Benjamin

Chapter 11:: So Cold

Reid eyed the bright red berries in the healer cat's den. Poison. What could clan cats possibly need those for, he wondered?

The graceful cream-and-white-furred healer cat went through his herbs, pulling some aside and sliding the others back into their respective piles.

"Why are you helping me?" Reid asked.

"I'm a medicine cat," the graceful cat answered. "It's what I do."

"How can I trust you? I don't even know your name."

"It's Sorrelspot," he said, and looked at him. "Don't suppose you'll tell me yours?"

Reid shrugged, and Sorrelspot returned to his leaves.

"You shouldn't be helping me," Reid said.

"No, perhaps not," Sorrelspot answered.

"When I'm healed, I could escape. But I won't just simply escape. I'll kill you; I'll kill your entire clan. I'll kill your mother, the cat you considered brother. Your mate and all your sons and daughters."

Sorrelspot interrupted Reid's rant with a sort laugh, and he faltered.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," Sorrelspot replied, amused. And then he asked, "Do you know Lukas of RiverClan?"

Reid shrugged.

"Well, Lukas trespassed on RiverClan land. Granted, his entrance wasn't as... vicious as yours, but still he was taken prisoner. And now he is a respectful warrior in one of the highest positions in the clan."

Reid scoffed. "And you think that _I_ could become one of you?"

"No, not really," Sorrelspot said. "But I've been surprised in the past."

"I'd have to change my name, my life, my entire _self_ , to live like you."

"Well, if you told us your name, then we wouldn't have to change it."

Reid rolled his eyes and turned away.

 _(Whitepaw's POV)_

Whitepaw stood before Tigerstar in his den, which smelled musty and dirty. The sunlight barely made it past the heavy curtain of leaves that sheltered the den's entrance. Tigerstar's deputy, Thistletooth, stood behind Whitepaw, lest she try to run.

"And then, he slashed Hawkstripe's throat. He was dead. I ran."

"Really?" Tigerstar asked. "You just... ran away and left your clan to die?"

"I'm a medicine cat, not a warrior," Whitepaw insisted. "My clan needs help, so I went to find some."

"And you came to WindClan... why?"

"I don't know," Whitepaw admitted. "Just the direction I turned to first was my only choice. I couldn't double back and head somewhere else, or I'd be captured. I couldn't stop and think rationally about this, because if I stopped, I'd be captured."

"And yet, you stopped. And Shiverleaf, Petalshade, and Flightfang almost died."

"I'm sorry," Whitepaw said.

"Like hell you are," Tigerstar snarled. "Shatteredgaze came back to your clan, your dream and your brother's come true. And so he convinces you to come to WindClan, get us to trust you so you can attack us."

"Tigerstar, if I may," Thistletooth said. "She's an medicine cat apprentice, against an entire clan full of warriors. How much harm could she possibly do?"

"She's the daughter of Shatteredgaze. And that fucker can fight."

"Please, Tigerstar, believe me," Whitepaw pleaded. "The cat that chased after me could have killed me."

"Yes, he could have, but he didn't. I can't help if that makes me suspicious."

"Please!" Whitepaw felt tears begin to moisten her eyes, and looked away, embarrased and angry.

Tigerstar looked down at her, then at Thistletooth. His deputy nodded.

"Fine," Tigerstar sighed.

Whitepaw looked up.

"I'll let you stay, for the time being."

Whitepaw nodded.

"Digger's waiting outside. He'll show you to the medicine den."

Whitepaw nodded, and Sharptooth moved out of the way to let her pass.

"I don't think this is a great idea," Tigerstar told his deputy after she left.

"Perhaps not," Thistletooth said. "But it's all that we can do."

"Not necessarily."

"Yes, it's the only thing we can do. The only thing decent, anyway."

Tigerstar grunted. "Tell Owlheart that he and Sorrelspot are responsible for her."

Thistletooth nodded and took his leave of him.

 _(POV: Sorrelspot)_

"Hold still." Sorrelspot gently placed the cobwebs on the white tom's muzzle. He'd already cleaned the wound with wet moss, and the appropiate mixture of herbs.

"You ever killed a cat?" The white tom asked him.

Sorrelspot halted in his work. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I figure you've got deathberries in there for a reason."

Sorrelspot gave a bit of a laugh and continued working. "Yes, I have."

The white tom waited for an expansion on the answer.

"Once in battle, and three times otherwise."

"With the poison?"

Sorrelspot nodded. Heatherclaw, Cinderblaze, and Ashtail, three elders who'd decided they lived their life to the fullest.

And Xetheo of RiverClan. Sorrelspot was still an apprentice then, when WindClan and ShadowClan were in conflict. Sorrelspot and his former mentor, Redwish, had been there to quickly patch up wounds and send warriors back to battle.

Nightstar, the leader of ShadowClan before Jaunestar, had ordered the warriors to attack WindClan's medicine cats.

The blood alone on Sorrelspot's claws was enough to make him sick. He didn't dare to look at the body for a clear twenty seconds, and when he did, he regretted it. He'd seen dead cats before, of course, but never one he'd caused.

"He attacked me during battle, and I killed him," Sorrelspot told the white tom. "His name was Xetheo. What's yours?"

"Reid."

Sorrelspot nodded. "Good."

They both looked up when Digger led Whitepaw into the den.

"This cat's name is Digger," Sorrelspot said. "And you know Whitepaw."

Reid grunted, and Whitepaw looked uncomfortable. Digger swished his tail. Sorrelspot laughed, and didn't answer Digger or Reid's inquiry why.

 _This should be fun_ , he thought.

 _(POV: Silverfawn)_

Silverfawn left the camp without telling even Beetle'eye. She went to the river and didn't stop until she was belly-deep in the half-frozen water.

 _Dead._ He was _dead_.

Is this how death feels? Cold, just less wet? Hawkstripe wouldn't be let into StarClan, Silverfawn knew that much.

She cried, and her tears fell into the moonlight that glinted off the water.

 _Dead_.

She remembered when they were apprentices, fighting in battle and holding nothing back, joking friends anytime else.

 _Dead._

When her father died, and there was no other shoulder to cry on.

 _Dead._

When Leaftail left him and there was no other cat to go to.

 _Dead. Dead dead dead dead dead..._

 _It's So Cold..._

 _(POV: Weststar)_

Weststar watched the moon reflect off the river water. His mind wandered as he stared intently at the water. The shadows of fish disturbed the water, but he wasn't there to fish. He was there to think. He needed to think, but a little space was hard to come by in times like this. And he liked to pretend that the river was like the one from home.

He saw her freezing in the water, but made no move to save her. If she wanted to die, then she would die. If she wanted to live, then she would drag herself out of the water. However, the likeliness of that was diminishing by the second.

Followers of Ju'uszwik tell stories about this sort of thing. 'She loved him so much she killed herself after he died' and that sort of thing. Weststar had never seen that kind of devotion in real life before, and he was interested to.

"Weststar!"

She did love him, he just never knew it. She'd never admit it, of course. It's hard to admit that you love someone. Hard to admit it to yourself, to others, and most of all, to who you're in love with.

" _Weststar_ , don't ignore me."

Her body shivered violently, she whimpered when she breathed, it stung where the water touched.

" _Weststar_!"

Weststar jumped as he was jolted out of her mind. He faced Red Ash.

" _What_?"

 _(POV: Stingpaw)_

Lukas ran into the camp, nearly colliding with Stingpaw in the darkness. He went into the medicine den, and emerged a few seconds later with Fallpaw, carrying a few herbs in his mouth. As they sprinted out of the camp, Stingpaw impulsively followed.

She was lying on the shore of the river, Beetle'eye curled around her and licking her pelt frantically.

Fallpaw skidded to a stop next to her and put his paw on her forehead. Stingpaw came to a more gradual stop, and watched with scared, widened eyes.

"Silverfawn, can you hear me?" He whispered, out of breath but still audible.

She moaned lightly but didn't move.

Fallpaw nodded. He took the herbs that he'd brought, and chewed a little bit in his mouth, spat it out onto his paw, and had Silverfawn lick it off. It was a disgusting process, Stingpaw thought, but he trusted that Fallpaw wouldn't have done it unless it was necessary.

"Stingpaw, Lukas, get her to the camp," he said after this was done many times.

Stingpaw responded immediately, and shared her weight with Lukas after he got up. They quickly, as carefully as they could, helped her back into the camp.

 _(POV: Weststar)_

It was a shame, that that sort of love doesn't exist. She rethought her decision a second before it was too late.

It was also a shame, that Red Ash was stupid enough to think that, after everything, Weststar was still loyal to him.

He looked down at his bleeding body, coloring the river water red. Yes, this was just like home.

He turned his back on Red Ash. He hadn't killed him. He would never kill Red Ash, if only because then he'd have Giri and Sky That Cries At Night trying to kill him.

But he'd warned him. Stay away. Look what you've done. You killed them. You deserve to die.

Why won't you just die already?

 _(POV: Rustclaw)_

Rustclaw was surrounded by ShadowClan stench day and night. He didn't think he'd ever get used to it, no matter how long they kept him prisoner here. It was only a matter of time before they murdered him, anyway. If he didn't die of boredom first.

Jaunestar's kit was very interesting, if nothing else was. Trickpaw was definitely an interesting name. There's something in his eyes, something that Rustclaw couldn't place and was looking forward to figuring out.

As Rustclaw watched, Jaunestar and Mintwillow came out of the den purposefully. Jaunetstar went to Trickpaw, who was eating alone in the moonlight. He always seemed ostracized from the rest of the apprentices, and it reminded Rustclaw of Rockpaw even though Leaftail's son was a cat he barely wasted brain space thinking about.

When Trickpaw saw his father coming his way, he visibly sighed before he stood at attention.

They exchanged a few words, and Trickpaw's dismay was apparent. He attempted to say a few words, but Jaunestar cut him off with the smooth, commanding voice of a leader of soldiers. Trickpaw's jaw clenched, but he nodded in understanding and dropped his eyes.

Jaunestar nodded once in approval, then walked away, satisfied.

Trickpaw caught Rustclaw's eyes, and cocked his head curiously and threateningly. His eyes flashed their golden flash, but Rustclaw wasn't deterred and was steady with his half-intruiged gaze. This wasn't the first time Trickpaw had caught Rustclaw looking at the painful conversations between him and his father. Well, it wasn't like he had anything better to do than to aggrivate others. He'd already got three warriors saying to Mintwillow that they will, on no circumstances, guard him again. Mintwillow, who he'd known since early apprenticeship, had come up to him and asked him why he'd tried so hard to provoke everyone.

"Well, it's something to do, isn't it?" he answered, and Mintwillow sighed as he shrugged. Friends or not, Rustclaw knew that if Jaunestar hadn't ordered for him to not be harmed any more than he already was, then she would have taken him out right then. She was easily triggered like that.

One of the apprentices called Trickpaw's name. The ShadowClan apprentice narrowed his eyes, and then broke eye contact with Rustclaw to speak with the ashy grey she-cat. Redpaw, Rustclaw believed was her name.

The ThunderClan warrior laid his head on his paws. How long until Ciderstar gets off her ass and sends someone to rescue him and Flamekit? He was getting tired of his crying, especially because it was reminding him of the way Wingkit always cried...

He watched the warriors move from place to place around the camp, and it wasn't dalliantly anymore. Rustclaw recognized their purposeful movements as preparations for a battle. His guards changed from Wolfclaw and Lakepaw to just Scarletfire, a rather handsome tom with a white underbelly and stonelike grey eyes.

ShadowClan was going to battle, but with who?

Oh, this would be quite interesting indeed.

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

She was just next to Rockpaw, so that Rockpaw could feel her breaths. He hadn't meant to get this close, he'd just-He'd only wanted to see what it looked like.

She was slightly pretty, but they couldn't see anything extraordinary about her. She was... Well, they weren't sure. It was hard to see through all the Shadows.

What is true, purified, unconditional love? They wanted to know what it looked like. They were curious.

They looked closer, but all they saw inside her was suffering. And they became confused.

The noise was loud and sudden. Rockpaw and the Darkness moved as one, jumping back for fear that she would see Them. Then They laughed at their stupidity. She was fucking blind.

But she woke all the same, suddenly and with a sharp cry. The noise had been inside of her head. Normally, the only one capable of hearing it would be herself. But the Darkness knows Its way within minds, and it was easy to take Rockpaw with It. It's not like he was in any position to refuse, anyway. The death of his mentor had him so numb, he probably wouldn't resist if the Shadows had made him kill his own sister. Which wasn't exactly a difficult task in the first place.

Anyway, she woke, and it was so sudden that so did Fallpaw. He sleeps uneasy most nights, and having two patients in his den hadn't made it better. Her small cry was enough to make him jolt out of his sleep, and all at once the Darkness shrank back into the walls and the ground and the ceiling.

And Rockpaw was left alone, disorientated. And then he woke from is doze, suddenly. His jerking movement made him cry out in pain although his ribs didn't hurt so much now that he had been touched by Shadow. But his sharp cry startled both Silverfawn and Fallpaw, who were just falling back into a sleep.

The three of them sighed collectively. What a terrible mix of cats, Rockpaw thought. Between the three of them and the nightmares that are guaranteed to come, they would just keep waking each other up before anyone could get more than a few moments in.

And even if they did, thought Fallpaw, Mousewhisker's snoring would get loud enough to wake them at some point of the night. It always did.

And even if that didn't happen, although Silverfawn agreed with Fallpaw that Mousewhisker's snoring often gets obnoxious, the cold had a way of seeping into this den in particular.

Though, Rockpaw thought that he was the one getting the most of the chill. He was shivering.

And the Shadows found it amusing that the cats' minds were so muddled, they never even noticed the lines between them getting so smudged.

 _(POV: Dominique)_

Salerino came into the den, and Dominique looked up in interest.

"I've been to their camp," the dark-colored tom said.

Dominique nodded. "And?"

"Rockpaw is there. There are at least two cats guarding the den he's in, and of course all the warriors in the camp. And he's injured, limping on one leg." He stood with his head bowed, waiting for Dominique's direction.

Over the short time that Dominique had been leading this clan, he'd noticed Salerino's treatment of him go from a good friend to an obidient soldier. Perhaps he'd seen what had been done to Hawkstripe and decided that he didn't like what seemed to always be happening to Dominique's close friends. Loreley, Hawkstripe, Miso, Lithium.

Dominique nodded. "Good. How's Asheye?"

"Better," said Salerino, as Dominique smiled slightly.

"And any word of Reid?"

Salerino shook his head. "Hasn't been seen. He's either captured or dead."

"Or he betrayed me."

Salerino shrugged. "That, too."

Dominique sighed. "Which of the warriors are in shape for fighting?"

"Asheye, Silverfall, Redwing, Greytail, Russetnight, and Beeclaw."

Dominique nodded. "And all the apprentices?"

Salerino nodded.

Dominique gave a slow, sick smile. "Tell them we're attacking RiverClan tonight. And the ShadowClan prisoner, uh, Justess?"

Salerino nodded.

"Tell the most useless of the warriors to escort her back home."

Salerino nodded. "As you say, Dominique." And he disappeared from the den in one swish, as Salerino tends to do.

Dominique smiled in the darkness. His eyes gleamed within the Shadows, and he couldn't contain his manic laughter.

Oh, tonight would bring something new, this he'd always known.

He would take the old in everyone's lives, turn it into something new. Something bloody, something that would never end.

Something _Fun_.


	15. Chapter 12:: Dark and Bloody

**Sorry about the cliffhanger :P.**

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 _"One snap for the dying, one click to end the day. Another story with a mangled scene; it couldn't happen any other way."_

 _-Natural Born Killer_ , Avenged Sevenfold

Chapter 12:: The Bloody Darkness

It was Stingpaw, of all cats, who noticed first.

"Toadpaw. Toadpaw, wake up."

"Hm?" The red-furred tom stirred lightly and look up. "What now?"

"Just get up!" Stingpaw said in agitation, and hurried to Kestrelpaw. Weststar's son had not slept at all, his mind still ringing with the memories.

"Kestrelpaw!" He poked the dark brown tom. All the three apprentices in RiverClan were males. It could be quite awkward at times for whatever reason, but mostly it was a relief.

Kestrelpaw woke instantly. He was a much lighter sleeper than either Stingpaw or Toadpaw.

"What is it?" He said sharply.

"Do you smell that?" Stingpaw whispered, looking up at the entrance.

"Smell what?" Kestrelpaw also whispered.

"ThunderClan."

 _(Rockpaw's POV)_

"Kinkstar!"

Rockpaw was alert instantly, not necessarily being woken up because he wasn't exactly sleeping.

Fallpaw sat straight up, and when Silverfawn was startled, her instincts kicked in and she was in a battle position before she was even fully awake.

Mousewhisker came out of his nest, and Fallpaw attempted to follow, but Silverfawn pushed him back. She was going to stay in the den to protect Fallpaw and Rockpaw.

Rockpaw almost pushed in front of her, but thought better. Trained by a warrior as great as Hawkstripe, Rockpaw could definitely defend himself, if he wasn't being held back by so many injuries.

"Kinkstar!" The call came again. The voice was rather unfamiliar to Rockpaw.

Rockpaw and Fallpaw slowly creeped to the mouth of the entrance, out of sight but still within earshot.

"What?" Kinkstar's voice. His light pawsteps were borderline inaudible, unlike the intruder's heavy, purposeful steps.

It smelled like ThunderClan, ThunderClan and blood. Rockpaw's heart lurched at the smell of home, and the smell that enhanced his already prominent memories of Hawkstripe's death.

It must be Shatteredgaze, Rockpaw realized. Shatteredgaze was here, and he was here to take Rockpaw away like he'd taken Whitepaw, and Rockpaw had very little faith in Kinkstar's will to help him.

"Kinkstar," the intruder said. "Last I saw you, you were just a fresh, young warrior doing your leader's work without question. Now look at you. I bet you made sure Weststar's death was so _mysterious_ , didn't you?"

"Shatteredgaze, the Tyrant." Kinkstar's words sounded dry. "The last time I saw you here, you lay before myself and Weststar, bleeding and begging. Now look at you. I bet you really made sure Ciderstar was out of the way, didn't you? Unfortunate that you can't keep track of your own kits, isn't it?"

"Quite," answered Shatteredgaze. "All you said is completely true, except one thing."

"That is?"

"My name is not Shatteredgaze any longer, because I'm no longer _just_ a clan cat."

"Oh?" He seemed amused. "Then what is your name?"

"Dominique."

"Dominique? Interesting. And who're these cats you have with you?"

"Oh, this is Salerino, and this is Waleri. Followers of mine."

"What the hell?" Rockpaw was pretty sure it was Lukas' voice he recognized. "Waleri?"

"Lukas." A she-cat's voice. Rockpaw wanted to look, but feared he would be seen. "How nice to see you."

"Kinkstar, these cats are Followers of Ju'uszwik," Lukas informed shakily.

"Kinkstar, I'm going to make it simple for you," Shatteredgaze cut in. "Give me my son, or I'll take him."

Rockpaw inhaled sharply, and Fallpaw looked his way.

"You'll... _take_ him?" Kinkstar laughed. "I'm guessing you have warriors hiding in the shadows, but how hard do you expect ThunderClan warriors will fight for you? From what I understand, you've killed both Cedarclaw and Hawkstripe in one day, as well as a significant number of other warriors. They hate you."

"They fear me, Kinkstar. They _revere_ me. So give me Rockpaw, or not only will I take him, I'll kill every one of you here. Maybe I'll even kill you quick, if you beg."

"Well, I'll have to decline," Kinkstar surprised Rockpaw by saying. "and you can come kill us if you can."

Dominique laughed. "Honestly, I was hoping you would say that. Salerino."

Salerino gave the order for ThunderClan to attack and Rockpaw flinched away from the entrance.

 _(POV: Jaunestar)_

ShadowClan made it close to the RiverClan camp at moonhigh, expecting a quiet, sleeping camp to surprise, but instead heard the screeching and howling of a battle.

Jaunestar increased his speed to a full-on sprint, until he and his clan were on the hill that overlooked the camp. His orange eyes were bright with excitement, and his breath wasn't just heavy from the running.

"ShadowClan, attack!" He gave the order loud enough that the cats in the camp could hear him, if only for a touch of the dramatic.

 _(POV: Tigerstar)_

"But, Tigerstar, I really think you should reconsider," Sorrelspot said breathlessly, trying his best to keep up with his leaders' quick pace. "Shatteredgaze had always been a gifted fighter, obviously a better fighter than even Hawkstripe, and you're willingly going to go into battle against him and... and StarClan knows who he's brought with him? We should avoid battle with them for as long as we can. Or at least until we have a good idea what we're up against."

Tigerstar sighed. For better or for worst, as long as Tigerstar had been leader, Sorrelspot had always been there to advise him. On a weekly basis he gave more advice than Tigerstar's own deputy did. And he could see that his apprentice was coming out to be the same way.

"I've made up my mind, Sorrelspot," Tigerstar said and continued to walk. "I've been itching for a fight for so _long_. Now, I want you and Digger to stay here. I know how you get around battles."

"What do you mean?" Sorrelspot asked, offended.

"Well, ever since that time with RiverClan, I know you've gotten nervous around battle."

"What kind of a fucking medicine cat would I be if I couldn't function around battle?" Sorrelspot protested, and Tigerstar gave him a sideways look. Only Sorrelspot could make such vulgar words sound like such a soothing melody. Tigerstar almost regretted that his good friend had chosen the path of a medicine cat, because he would have enjoyed matching him up with a she-cat. After all, what are best friends for?

"Fine, then," he conceded. "You and Digger get your things ready. Do you... think Whitepaw should come? She's more than a capable medicine cat, isn't she?"

"That's what Stonewhisker tells me, but I believe that bringing her is the only thing that can make what a bad idea this is worse."

Tigerstar rolled his eyes. "Fine. Owlheart will stay to protect her from the prisoner, as well as the warriors I've already named."

Sorrelspot. "I'll inform him and Digger right away." And he went off.

Tigerstar sighed. Fucking Shatteredgaze. Just couldn't stay off the border, where he belonged. Tigerstar had been pissed when Fallowstar informed everyone he was leaving, but at least he'd had the decency to stay away. What kind of a name was Dominique, anyway? Why in hell would he change it?

The WindClan leader sighed, and decided to save those thoughts, the ones that make his paws twitch with anxiety and his tail thrash in anger, for the battle he was sure to win.

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

"ShadowClan?" Fallpaw whimpered in the dark. "We can't hold off ThunderClan _and_ ShadowClan."

Rockpaw looked at the medicine cat apprentice, at this point no more than a kit in the woods, and looked down at the ground.

 _ShadowClan._

He had to make a decision. Either help RiverClan, a clan that isn't his, or stay hiding behind Silverfawn, who he knew would protect him, if only for the sake of Hawkstripe. But then again, he didn't even have a clan anymore. What was the difference, anyway?

He pushed past Silverfawn, who had become occupied with an enemy Rockpaw did not care to identify.

He ran fast even with aching ribs to the nursery. As he ran across the camp, praying no one from ThunderClan noticed him, he saw a black cat slither into the nursery while a queen fought with a ShadowClan warrior and another lay in a way Rockpaw assumed she was dead.

 _Dead._

His legs almost faltered, as his gaze was drawn to the terrible sight he never wanted to see. He'd never seen a dead cat before. He'd never seen a dead anything before, save the prey that stirred nothing in him but hunger.

But he pressed on, for belief that what he was doing was more important than the dead and gone. He pressed himself into the shadows and went into the nursery.

" _Trickpaw_!" He called.

Trickpaw stood with his back to Rockpaw, over the unconscious body of another queen. Rockpaw briefly wondered if he was in over his head. If the ShadowClan apprentice had taken out a fully grown warrior so quickly, what could one such as Rockpaw, in a state such as Rockpaw, ever hope to do to him?

Trickpaw turned around, sighing.

"Rockpaw. I should've expected you. ThunderClan finally trusts you enough to put you in battle, huh?"

"I'm not fighting for ThunderClan," Rockpaw said. He shifted his posture to try and make up for Trickpaw's advantge in height. His pain was gone now; he wasn't even thinking of it.

"No?" Trickpaw asked. "What happened? Someone refuse you leadership, too?"

Rockpaw cocked his head to one side. "What was that speech about not judging someone by their father's actions?"

Trickpaw laughed. "No, I wasn't talking about Dominique then."

"Dominique?" Rockpaw bristled. Trickpaw was seeming more and more dangerous as each second ticked by, the way his eyes moved, the way his whiskers were twitching in amusement.

"Oh. You don't know him by his new name yet, how could I forget? He's still way across the mountains fighting for his own doomed religion."

Rockpaw narrowed his eyes. What the hell could _Trickpaw_ know about Dominique?

 _(POV: Lightheart of ThunderClan)_

Lightheart lay with her wounds barely bandaged, her heart barely beating, her mind barely thinking. The death of her sister, Tigerwhisker, was weighing her down, and she'd barely registered her orders when Dominique had given them to her.

 _Stay here_ , he'd said. _Make sure no one leaves. If someone does, I'm finding you and taking it out on your ass and yours alone._

So she lay by the entrance as she was ordered, and her orders were only to keep anyone from leaving, so when Tigerstar walked into the camp, she didn't move. He didn't even know she was there until she spoke.

"Whitepaw found you, didn't she? Her, or Rockpaw?"

Tigerstar jumped back, startled. He unsheathed his claws, but some sense told him there was no danger in her lifeless eyes.

"Whitepaw did," he told her, calmler than he felt. "Where's Dominique?"

"RiverClan," she answered, her voice little more than a moan. "RiverClan to retrieve Rockpaw, then WindClan in three days to retrieve Whitepaw."

Tigerstar nodded. He made to leave, but something made him stay behind.

"Lightheart," he said, and she only moved her eyes to look at him.

"You and any warrior here should come with me. Get away from him."

Dominique's words echoed in Lightheart, and she scrunched her eyes shut.

 _No one leaves. Anyone leaves and it's on your ass._

"No one leaves," she murmured. "No one leaves, or..." She inhaled sharply and shakily.

"Lightheart, if you and your warriors come with me, I promise WindClan will protect you. I give you my word of... whatever honor I have left."

Lightheart's eyes opened, and her heavy breaths expanded her chest. " _Nobody leaves_!" she all but screeched.

Tigerstar took a few steps back. There was nothing of the sweet, naive cat that he used to know in her eyes. Pure insanity was reflected. The movement of a dark shape on their Highrock caught his eye. He turned his head to look. All he saw was blue eyes glinting off the moonlight, reflecting a Darker sort of mania.

He skitted away, suddenly afraid of whatever had infected this clan. He turned to leave, but Lightheart shot forward and blocked his path.

" _Nobody_ ," she hissed. Tigerstar smacked her on the side of her head with all his strength, and the heavy _clunk_ of her impact on the ground accompanied by the spew of blood from the wound was enough to make Tigerstar gag.

He hurried out of the camp, passing his warriors. "They went to RiverClan," he shouted. "Quickly, to the RiverClan camp!" He let his fear rule his body, and ran away from the Darkness of whatever remained in ThunderClan.

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

"How... How do you know Dominique? I... He's only been back for a day."

Trickpaw's eyes widened. "He's _back_? And..." His quick mind began to put it all together. "You ran away, came to RiverClan for refuge, and now Dominique is leading an attack to get you back."

Rockpaw didn't bother nodding to confirm the obvious.

"Well, then. I'll just take this kit, and be on my way." He turned back to the nest of terrified kits.

"What? No." Rockpaw stepped forward.

"No?" Trickpaw slowly turned, and his sick grin of sadistic amusement was enough that Rockpaw took a few steps back. His already unnerving golden eyes contrasted brightly with the Blackness all around them, making Rockpaw try to remember what the hell he'd been thinking, challenging _Trickpaw_.

"I won't let you," Rockpaw continued, but it was with less fire. "I'm going to stop you."

Trickpaw laughed, and the sound was enough to make Rockpaw shiver. "Well, let's see it then."

 _(POV: Dominique)_

ThunderClan cats randomly attacked any cat that wasn't among their own ranks, and RiverClan cats did the same, and ShadowClan cats were generally directing their attacks to ThunderClan cats.

Dominique left Kinkstar bleeding on the ground, in the process of losing a life. With any luck, it would be his last life, though Dominique doubted it.

Now, about ShadowClan, Dominique didn't want to be enemies with Jaunestar.

He used a moment of peace to seek out Jaunestar, and saw the black-and-golden tom battling with a cat Dominique thought he recognized as Dustflame of RiverClan.

Dominique ran to them, pushed Dustflame aside, slashed his throat, and turned to Jaunestar.

The bloodlust in Jaunestar's was quite something. Dominique had always admired that in him. That, complete with the ShadowClan leader's snakelike cleverness and undying determination, was the reason Dominique had known he would still be alive and the same.

But Jaunestar faltered. "Shatteredgaze?"

"It's me," Dominique said with a smile.

Jaunestar was quick to figure out the situation. "So... You came back to ThunderClan. You took over, and Hawkstripe was smart enough to hide his apprentice. He's here, you're guessing."

Dominique slightly tilted his head, not bothering to waste his breath and confirm the obvious.

"About Hawkstripe," he said instead, "He's dead. I killed him."

Jaunestar cocked his head. " _You_ killed him? You had a bone to pick with him as well?"

Dominique nodded, and jerked his head to keep a bit of blood from dripping into his eyes.

"And you think that makes us friends?" The ShadowClan cat stepped forward, his voice low and growling.

Dominique nodded again, more hesitant this time.

"Why?"

"Because I thought you would be happy he's dead."

"I could've killed him any time I wanted to! He was _mine_ to kill! You..." He blinked a few times, eventually just shutting his eyes. His body twitched. "You took my revenge." The look in his eyes brightened. "And now it's your bones I'm going to pick."

Dominique snarled and got into a battle stance. Perhaps he'd underestimated the extent of Jaunestar's insanity, but that didn't matter. He, like everyone else, was purest when he was in battle, and so he'd just kill him. Which was difficult, but he'd done it before. Two of Jaunestar's lives were taken by Dominique. And now, even if Dominique had to kill him seven times, he would die _tonight_.

Because as much bloodlust as Jaunestar had, Dominique had more.

 _(POV: Sorrelspot)_

Sorrelspot had a feeling that he'd lost one or two leaves keeping up with his leader's dead sprint to the RiverClan camp, but it wasn't anything he'd miss dearly. Of course, WindClan was known for its fast-running warriors, but no warrior could go as fast as advertised with all those trees in the way.

They made it to the top of the hill that overlooked the RiverClan camp, and, as expected, heard two clans clashing in the darkness better than they saw it. Tigerstar looked down, swallowed, and took a moment to catch his breath.

And in that moment, there was Sorrelspot, next to him, watching him warily. Rockpaw and Trickpaw, each in their battle stances, each with their own reasons. Silverfawn and Beetle'eye together taking on a pair of ShadowClan warriors, and Beetle'eye falling onto the ground and not getting back up. Jaunestar and Dominique locked in the most intense battle they'd ever experienced, both of them obsessed with being the last one standing. Whitepaw and Reid staring at each other, wondering if anyone will make the first move, and how long until Owlheart separated them if someone did. Ciderstar fixiated on the figurative and otherwise blood on her claws, feeling that blood run from her body. Red Ash watching the battle from RiverClan's HighRock, shaking his head and wondering how he could be so stupid.

And then Tigerstar took a breath.

" _WindClan, attack!_ "


	16. Chapter 13:: Sinners

**Hey, I know that all of you can't wait to see more of Nigel and Whisper. I can't wait to write to write about them. I promise this is the last chapter where they aren't mentioned.**

 **Also, the reason this chapter took so long to update is because I didn't have my laptop for a while, and when I did, it actually took a really long time to write this chapter. If it's a little bit anti-climatic, sorry. Chances are I'll keep making revisions to it like I always do.**

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 _"Pleasure fused with pain. This triumph of the soul will make you shiver tonight. Will make you shiver tonight, yeah!"_

 _-Ten Thousand Fists,_ Disturbed

Chapter 13:: The Monster Inside

 _A few hours ago-_

They'd only thrown Hawkstripe's body under a small mound of dirt, for a desperate fox or badger to devour. Nobody had even stood vigil for him in the darkness. They'd just left him there. Best to keep memories memories, after all. He'll stay out of sight, and therefore out of mind.

Red Ash lamented the dishonor of which they treated their own clanmate, a brother to some, a son to one, a father to an unknowing three. He stood on the edge of the snowed-on dirt pile, knowing how he could make it right but hesitant to do so.

The red tom bent his head and debated if shedding a single tear would contribute to the sadness of the situation. He decided against it.

His gaze travelled over the dirt pile. God, they hadn't even scattered any snow over it. Red Ash could still see a paw uncovered.

Mournful, he began to say the words. He knew the price of them, but he said them anyway. Almost instantly, the Shadows began to accumilate around him, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

The Shadows took on the form of something at least slightly resembling a cat. It was no larger than Red Ash was, but it was much more intimidating.

"Yes?" It hissed.

"Hawkstripe is dead," Red Ash said quietly, his eyes on his paws.

"And?"

"And it wasn't supposed to be this way." He looked straight at the feline mass of Shadows. "I want you to make it right."

The Darkness made a movement that could have been a tilting of Its head.

"Why would _I_ make it right? I haven't done anything wrong. It was you who decided to bring me to life, and put all of this into motion."

Red Ash bowed his head again. "And now I've lost everyone I love. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be."

"Well, what the hell did you expect?"

"I don't know. I wasn't thinking. Look, I've searched for Hawkstripe in StarClan and the Dark Forest, and I haven't found him. I've not checked beyond those places. I don't know where he is. But I think you do."

"And?"

"And I want you to make it right! Just this one thing."

"And what will you give me, in return?"

Red Ash shrugged. "Well, it's gotta be a life for a life doesn't it?"

"And... you'll give your life for Hawkstripe's?"

"Oh," he laughed. "hell no. But, I'll kill whomever you want me to."

"Anyone?"

"Almost anyone."

There was a moment of silence.

"Fine then," It finally said. "I'll return Hawkstripe to life, if you kill his love, Silverfawn."

Red Ash looked up in surprise, about to say something, protest, but the Shadows sank back into the ground, and he was left alone.

Well, not so much.

 _-Present Time-_

" _WindClan, attack_!"

Dominique and Jaunestar both stopped and turned.

"Holy hell," Dominique breathed. Bloodlust or none, there was a point when too much became too much. And all four clans fighting at the same time in one camp? If that wasn't too much, then what was?

Jaunestar looked up at the same time, watching the clan of cats run down the hill with bright eyes. Bloodlust or none, he thought, everyone loves a good fight. And this fight just got _so much_ better.

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

Rockpaw looked up in surprise from Trickpaw's face, and that was his mistake. Even if Trickpaw was surprised by the appearance of WindClan, he knew how to take advantage of an enemy's distraction. Without any more warning than he'd given already, he jumped onto Rockpaw.

Rockpaw's instincts kicked in the same time the pain did, and he was caught by surprise by the pain. Defenseless even more than before, he knew that he had no chance against a fighter as good as Trickpaw.

He threw Trickpaw off of him and took a second to compose himself. He did not want to die tonight, but he was quite sure he was going to. There was just nothing he could do, what with broken ribs as well as a broken soul. There wasn't going to be a savior in the darkness to come and save him. There was no such thing as miracles, and reality was not going to change for him now.

If there had ever been anything to live for, it was gone now.

Trickpaw got back up, seething. "That was one hell of a last stand," he laughed sarcastically. "Now I can't _wait_ to see your blood on my claws."

 _(POV: Tigerstar)_

Tigerstar pulled ahead of his warriors, as a leader ought to do. He was surprised and even faltered at the scent of ShadowClan, but he continued to press on. Why make such a dramatic entrance if he wasn't even going to fight?

He ran into the camp and attacked the first RiverClan cat he saw. He hoped his clan would be smart enough to not attack a ShadowClan cat.

He recognized Jaggedheart as the amber tabby tom he was fighting, and sighed internally. Jaggedheart was the cat he usually avoided at all costs during a battle, but caught in the moment, there was no time to back out.

Running at full speed, Tigerstar launched himself at Jaggedheart at a short distance. Jaggedheart was a fast cat, faster than Tigerstar. If he wasn't already tired and wounded, then perhaps he would have been fast enough to dodge him. As it was, Tigerstar landed on him and the momentum rolled them several tail-lengths.

They both stood, quickly recovering. Tigerstar thought he might have done as damage to himself as he did to Jaggedheart.

They circled each other for a moment. Jaggedheart's eyes had a blue intensity like lightning that Tigerstar found he couldn't tear his eyes from.

Jaggedheart swiped suddenly. Tigerstar dodged deftly, answering with an attack of his own. It landed on Jaggedheart's shoulder. The brown tom hissed in pain and swiveled around, leaping onto Tigerstar. It was a less than clean landing onto Tigerstar's back but a landing all the same, and he bit down on the back of Tigerstar's neck.

Tigerstar called out in pain, but then, suddenly the weight disappeared from his back. He looked up to see Sharptooth wrestling Jaggedheart.

The WindClan leader looked up, breathing heavily, and saw Kinkstar looking back at him, looking bloody and pissed.

 _(POV: Stingpaw)_

Stingpaw dodged a blow from a warrior that smelled of ThunderClan and continued running to the nursery. Not only was ShadowClan, a clan of known kit-thieves, here, Rockpaw had gone in there in a dead sprint. Either he was running to protect the kits, or to help thieve them. In either case, Stingpaw intended to _kill_ someone tonight. He'd had enough of other cats' shit. He planned to end it all, right here, right now.

Very near to the nursery now, he ducked under another blow, this time from someone he recognized. Wolfclaw of ShadowClan, a degenerate if Stingpaw ever saw one, but not to be underestimated in battle. Unlike the warriors Stingpaw avoided before, Wolfclaw persisted in attacking. Proof that there _was_ something going on in the nursery. It could only be Rockpaw, Stingpaw knew. He was beginning to like the ThunderClan apprentice, but now all he felt was a surge of hate. He swerved around and utilized all his strength in delivering a swipe to the side of Wolfclaw's face. The grey warrior hissed in pain as his head snapped to the side. He looked up with fire in his eyes, but the apprentice was already gone. Before he could give chase, he was attacked by someone else.

Stingpaw ran into the nursery but stopped short. He definitely was not expecting what he saw.

 _(POV: Kinkstar)_

 _Fucking WindClan._

Kinkstar growled at the sight of Tigerstar. Tigerstar accepted the challenge conveyed by his look, and began running towards him. Kinkstar also began running; their pace increased into a sprint. When they clashed, it would all depend on who had the higher velocity.

 _Turned my home into a fucking battlefield._ Kinkstar let his rage fuel his speed.

Tigerstar leaped into the air, and so did Kinkstar. They collided, Tigerstar being pushd backwards. They landed hard. Tigerstar took the bulk of the hit. Kinkstar dug his claws into Tigerstar's chest. When Tigerstar threw him off, the RiverClan leader left claw marks across his belly and chest.

Tigerstar did little more than hiss in pain and get to his paws. He was always good at taking hits, if not so much landing them.

"You. Get out. This is my home, you son of a bitch," Kinkstar shouted.

"Look, I'm only here for ThunderClan," Tigerstar panted.

Kinkstar snarled. "If only." He snapped his jaws at Tigerstar's face in a way that reminded the WindClan leader of a dog. Tigerstar flinched back, and Kinkstar took his oppurtunity to attack.

As they fought, their blood mixed with the snow, and soon they were sliding in bloody slush, each determined not to lose.

Then Kinkstar got the lucky hit, and Tigerstar fell to the ground and didn't get back up.

 _(POV: Silverfawn)_

"Beetle'eye!"

Silverfawn stumbled around until she tripped over an unmoving body.

"Beetle'eye?!"

She crawled forward and hovered her paw over the cat's face. She felt no breath, and her heart seemed to stop. She tried to smell the body, see who it was, but she couldn't smell anything over the blood.

" _Beetle'eye_!" She screamed.

"Silverfawn!"

The silver warrior didn't move. It wasn't her brother's voice calling her name, so she didn't care.

 _"Beetle'eye..."_

 _(POV: Stingpaw)_

Stingpaw saw Rockpaw bleeding on the ground, and two out of three of Lunarstreak's kits bawling in their nest.

"R-Rockpaw?" Stingpaw half-yelled. "Rockpaw!"

Rockpaw's tail twitched, though Stingpaw wasn't sure if it was a conscious move or a death twitch.

"Rockpaw!"

There was no response. Stingpaw figured there were better things to do with his time, and he rushed to the kits.

" _Fuck_." There were only two of them, as he had seen when he'd went into the nursery.

"Stingpaw," Rockpaw murmured from behind him.

"Where's Blossomkit?" Stingpaw snapped.

"Trickpaw," Rockpaw breathed. "I tried... I tried, but he beat me."

Stingpaw nodded, and most of his suspicions about Rockpaw vanished. The evidence that he'd fought that fucking ShadowClan apprentice was pretty damn irrefutable.

He ran out of the nursery, ran straight into another cat.

 _(POV: Dominique)_

Dominique nearly fell over as an apprentice ran into him. The stench of RiverClan made him gag.

Jaunestar didn't hesitate in his attack, and soon the apprentice was forgotten about.

Dominique and Jaunestar continued their greuling, intense battle, blood and spit and profanities flying every which way. They must have circled the camp thirty times, their battle taking them to every corner.

Jaunestar leapt onto Dominique's back, and the white tom threw him off. The ShadowClan leader knocked into a silver cat in the middle of fighting a brown-furred tom, and the silver cat-Kinkstar, Dominique realized-reared around and placed his paws on Jaunestar's throat, pressed his claws into his skin. Saliva dribbled from his mouth as he hissed in a way closely resembling a snake.

Jaunestar fought, but Kinkstar had him tightly pinned. Little by little, his trashing weakened, until it stopped completely. He was still, and his eyes glazed over.

Jaunestar was dead. Again.

Kinkstar stepped away from the body and looked back at his brown-furred opponent. He had become distracted by another cat, and so Kinkstar turned to Dominique.

" _You_ ," he spat. " _Get out_."

Dominique growled, about to protest, but his words were cut off.

" _ShadowClan_! We have what we need! Back to camp!" Somehow Mintwillow's voice cut through the noise.

"No, wait! Stop them!"

An apprentice by Dominique, a white tom with grey markings, shouted desperately for ShadowClan to be stopped, but his voice wasn't nearly as loud as Mintwillow's.

"Stop them! They have Blossomkit!" The apprentice yowled.

Kinkstar perked up. "...Blossomkit?"

"They have her," the apprentice continued, and proceeded to pounce onto a fleeing ShadowClan warrior. Dominique wasn't sure, but he thought that might've been Deerpath, a cat he only ever knew for his cowardice and his ridiculous ideals.

As he watched the ShadowClan cats flee, Domnique saw a dark grey, bloody cat stagger out of one of the dens, and he recognized him at once. The white warrior never forgets a face. He would recognize his son even if he hadn't looked exactly like Leaftail.

With a slight grin, Dominique made his way over to him, calling to Salerino.

 _(POV: Sorrelspot)_

"Tigerstar!" Sorrelspot called. He forgot all about the herbs he was carrying and the bleeding, unconscious warrior he was tending to as he rushed to his best friend's side.

The silver cat that had landed the killing blow was already occupied with another enemy, but Sorrelspot wasn't worried about him. He put his paw over Tigerstar's face, and felt no breath.

 _Dammit!_

Digger appreared next to him and moved fast, neatly patching up Tigerstar's deep wounds to make the supernatural healing process go faster. Sorrelspot would have felt pride in his apprentice if he hadn't been so worried about his friend.

Suddenly Tigerstar coughed, blood from his mouth splattering on the ground. Not that anyone could tell, just looking at the snow. It was already drowned in crimson.

Sorrelspot exhaled in relief. His lungs hurt from a breath he hadn't kown he was holding. StarClan, it was nerve-wrecking, being best friends with the leader of WindClan. Even if he knew how many lives Tigestar had, as any medicine cat should, he was always worried that there would be one time when it didn't take. When the cut was just too deep to heal.

Tigerstar's eyes opened wide. This moment of disorientation was normal after he lost a life. He looked up at Sorrelspot, panicked. There'd always been three cats he would recognize at once: Smokeywing, his former mate, Rubypaw, his now dead kit, and Sorrelspot.

The tan-furred tom's breathing was fast and shallow as his eyes turned to Sorrelspot. "W...What? Who the hell are you?"

Sorrelspot's relief quickly turned to dismay. "It's me," he stammered. "It's Sorrelspot. Your medicine cat."

"I don't know who you are. I-Get away from me!" He shot into a standing position, and immediately collapsed. "Get... get away..." He dragged himself away, scarlet snow sticking to his fur.

"Tigerstar!" Sorrelspot went to help him, but Digger stopped him.

"He'll recover, Sorrelspot," the apprentice said. "He always does."

Sorrelspot watched his leader belly-crawl in a desperate and inefficient attempt to flee the battlefield.

"There are other warriors that need our help," Digger pressed. With no answer from Sorrelspot, he bounded away to help a collapsed warrior.

 _(POV: Fallpaw)_

Fallpaw rushed to Hailshadow with a few leaves grasped between his teeth. He'd long since ran out of cobwebs and wet moss to stop the bleeding, so he improvised. He took snow in his paw and rubbed it on Hailshadow, who shuddered from the cold but didn't complain. When the odd-eyed warrior's fur was relatively clean (how could it be with the snow being as bloody as it was?), Fallpaw quickly chewed up some of the leaves and plastered it onto his wounds. He heard a screech of pain and looked up, his ears perked. Then he returned to his work. When he was finished, he ran off, and Hailshadow pounced onto a fleeing ShadowClan cat.

" _Stop them, they have the kits_!" Fallpaw heard Stingpaw's calls, but reclaiming kits from ShadowClan, regrettable as it was, was not his job. With the leaves he had remaining, he ran to Lukas and underwent the same drill as before.

He was stopped short when a body ran into his and he fell to the ground. He flinched, and when his eyes opened, he saw malicious yellow eyes staring into his like a challenge.

The apprentice scrambled into a standing position and faced the cat. When he recognized it, his heart sank.

Viperswipe.

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

Rockpaw had painfully staggered out of the nursery with the intention of finding Trickpaw and/or Stingpaw. He wasn't sure what he thought he was going to do once he found them. In truth, he was better off staying in the nursery, keeping the kits guarded. But common sense wasn't exactly foremost among his thoughts at that moment.

He saw Fallpaw get cornered by a dark-furred tom halfway across the camp, and the sense of urgency as well as the false sense of heroism in him intensified. He quickly limped in that direction.

He found it funny that he would never push himself to these limits for any of the apprentices in ThunderClan, cats he'd known all his life, but here he was, possibly about to die for someone he'd only known a day.

Wait, possibly die?

Rockpaw stopped. Why the hell was he going to die for a _RiverClan_ cat? If there was ever anyone he was going to die for, it would be someone that was more than likely dead already.

Well, what the hell has he got to live for, anyway?

Just as he was beginning to move again, someone blocked his path. A dark figure of a cat with orange eyes. He stopped short and looked behind him. He didn't recognize Dominque at first; his white fur literally had dark strands of blood hanging off of it. His eyes seemed to shine with it.

"Rockpaw. It's so nice to finally meet you." Dominique's voice was only a low growl, hardly understandable.

The usual snarky comments were lost in Rockpaw's throat. The murder in this cat's eyes was more dangerous than anything Rockpaw had seen before.

"Would you believe," Dominique said, undeterred by his son's silence, "that all of this started with just one simple request? Amazing, the absolute shit that stubborness will get you into. That, and stupidity, of course. And now, I'm about to get what I want anyway." His words broke off with low laughter.

"N...no you won't," Rockpaw stammered.

Dominique nodded. "Yes. I will. And, I'll even show you were your dear Hawkstripe is buried."

Rockpaw's eyes widened, and an anger bubbled into existence in his chest. It mixed in with his heroic delusions, and he growled. But as he was preparing to attack, a heavy weight landed on his back and flattened it.

"Thank you, Salerino," Dominique said. "Now, Rockpaw," he lowered his face to Rockpaw's level. "I know you want to kill me now. But, a few days with me, and you'll never want to leave my side."

Rockpaw snarled. "I'll fucking kill you."

"Oh, you can try," Dominique laughed. "as many have tried before. They all lie six feet under the ground."

"I don't care if I die," Rockpaw spat, "as long as you join me in the grave." He actually spat blood into his father's face. Not that it made any difference.

Dominique blinked and withdrew himself. He began walking away. "Bring him," he said to Salerino.

"ThunderClan!" He yowled. "Back to camp!"

Immediately ThunderClan cats began to flee, far more responsive than ShadowClan had been. Salerino grabbed Rockpaw by the scruff of his neck and made off with him.

Outside the camp, it was empty but for Dominique and a smooth-furred grey she-cat. All the ThunderClan warriors ignored any pain they had to in order to please Dominique, their new leader, and get to the ThunderClan camp as soon as they could.

" _Rockpaw_!"

The grasp on Rockpaw's neck was removed, and Rockpaw staggered to the ground. He looked up, and though his vision was blurry, he was sure he saw Stingpaw fighting the cat that had been holding him.

"Run, Rockpaw!" Stingpaw shouted.

Rockpaw was still. His gaze numbly went to Dominique, who was dashing towards him. Then Stingpaw's words went through his mind.

 _Run, Rockpaw!_

Run? Again? Yeah, because that worked out _so well_ last time.

But, in the end, his life meant more to him than his pride, even if his life meant so little.

He stood, swaying slightly, and through his dizzines and his pain, he forced his legs to move. One step after another, until he was sprinting through the woods again.

Shadows clouded his mind, and he couldn't think.

Running, running, running, he didn't realize how much time had passed until his lungs were almost inoperable and his breath nearly nonexistent. His heart was beating rapidly. He slowed to a stop and collapsed onto the ground.

It began to snow, and his shivering, bleeding body quickly become dusted with white. Hours passed, and he never moved.

"Who the hell are you?"

He didn't move.

"Hello?"

He was still.

"Oh, my God. Hello?!"

Pawsteps crunched on the leaves and stopped next to his face. " _Hello_?!"

He perked up slightly.

The cat gasped in surprise. "Hey. Who the hell are you?"

Rockpaw groaned, attempting an answer. His vision began to blacken again, and his head dropped.

The cat's voice was the last thing he heard before he blacked out.

"Hey! Shadowflame! Come quick, I found who we're looking for!"


	17. Allegiances 2

**SkyClan**

Leader-Sphinxface-A lean, white tom with grey markings around his eyes and one grey paw. His eyes are a unique color of blue, looking like sapphires.

Deputy-None

 **Med. Cats-**

Tearfall-A light grey she-cat with a white tuft on her chest.

Yellowskull-A black tom with light grey eyes.

Sinclaw-A long-furred grey tom with green eyes and curled black claws.

 **Med. Cat Apprentices-**

Fowlpaw-A dark brown tom with very dark eyes.

Riddlepaw-A light-furred she-cat with milky blue eyes. Really does live up to her name, or so her mother would say.

 **Warriors-**

Bloodeye-A thin, quick, clever black tom with one grey eye and one orange. Has won more than one battle using words alone.

Poisontongue-A dark grey tom with black tabby stripes and orange eyes. He is perhaps better with words than his brother, Bloodeye, is, but usually uses his skills to charm she-cats and/or get himself out of a battle.

Wilting Flame-A brown-eyed, dark brown she-cat with dark grey flecks and back tabby stripes. A forgeiner from the north.

Prideclaw-A ginger tom with grey-blue eyes and white paws.

Brokensoul-A scarred, grey she-cat with yellow eyes and long white paws. Has been incorrectly called a soft-hearted cat. She'll jump into battle without hesitation, as long as she's sure it's for a justful reason.

Fierybite-A black she-cat with silver eyes and a clear death wish. She dotes on her kits, Riddlepaw and Miragepaw, far too much, especially after their father died.

Vilesoul-A large black tom with very large fangs and long, bladelike claws.

Ashenheart-A pretty tortoseishell she-cat with blue eyes. She is fierce in battle and otherwise, and those who oppose her are quickly exterminated.

Shadowflame-A completely black she-cat with dark blue eyes that could almost classify as purple.

Spiderwish-A grey tom with black flecks and green eyes. Can climb up trees as far as the very top thin twigs as easily as a spider climbs through its web.

Blooddapple-A dark brown she-cat with darker flecks and emberlike orange eyes.

 **Apprentices-**

Bonepaw-A white tom with black spots and brown eyes.

Wishpaw-A completely white she-cat with dark brown eyes. Bonepaw's sister.

Winterpaw-A dark grey tom with frosty blue eyes and clean white claws. He also has a very cold personality to match his name.

Jestpaw-A calico tom with brown eyes. Much to the embarassment of his father, most of his jests have an obscene meaning.

Miragepaw-An orange she-cat with black stripes, neat white claws, and nearly transparent silver eyes.

 **Queens-**

Darkblood-A crimson-furred she-cat with eyes that almost look like liquid, nursing two newborn kits.

Thrallclaw-A silver she-cat with dark blue eyes. Nursing one kit.

 **Elders-**

Cats in SkyClan do not live long enough to be considered an elder.


	18. Chapter 14:: Suspended War

**BTW, I added a new character that wasn't in the allegiances until just now. I think you'll know when he's mentioned.**

 **Just fixed this chapter and feeling pretty great about it :D If you're somewhat of a Japanese history nerd like me, you'll catch the hitory reference ;) !**

* * *

 _"Don't you know the war is far from over now! What a stumbling block we've fallen over now. As our brothers die defending no one, the war is far from over now!"_

 _-Sacred Lie,_ Disturbed

Chapter 14:: Suspended War

The red light of sunrise blazed over the bare, snowy trees. Nigel's eyes shone the dark color of blood as he watched it, and his fur was a sheen of red. This was to be his last day here. Tonight, he planned to leave.

Sergei would be going with him, of course. So would Syphrone, but not Jiriska. Whisper had agreed to go, but Saohei would not. Eliza had never given a clear answer, but Jesse had straight out refused. Nigel didn't much like Jesse anyway. His shifty eyes had been the source of Nigel's problems more often than not.

Nigel breathed in the morning air and prayed a silent farewell to the forest that had been his home for many years. The den he had left to both Jiriska and Saohei, although he had a feeling Jiriska would utilize it more than Saohei would.

His thoughts turned to the clans. He wondered who was dead yet, and who had managed to survive. He wondered how the leaders of the other clans were doing, Weststar in particular. Weststar had always been Nigel's favorite among the leaders. He was too young to be a leader because no one had expected the fomer RiverClan leader to die so soon, but he was a good leader. He took risks that he probably thought were necessary in the heat of the moment, and he lashed out rather suddenly sometimes, but overall, he got things done right.

Nigel also wondered about Tigerheart. He wanted to know how his most trusted warrior was handling the cutthroat politics of the uppermost class.

And Spiderstar. Chances were that he was dead, but would anyone have let Cidersmoke become leader? Would it even matter? Dominique had seemed pretty set on taking ThunderClan for his own, as much as he'd talked about getting his kits back from the clan. Nigel worried about how Leaftail was doing.

He sighed. All these thoughts were making his head spin. The only way to find out the answers to these questions was to get there. Preferrably _very_ soon. Of course Nigel would miss this place, but he was unsure of how much more of it he could take.

He heard gentle pawsteps approaching on his right side and looked over.

"Our last sunrise here," Whisper said softly. Her voice fitted in perfectly with the silence of the morning air.

Nigel nodded. "It's beautiful, but I'll always miss the sunset more." His voice, graceful as it was, seemed gritty and unpleasant compared to hers.

"I'm sure sunsets are beautiful in WindClan as well," Whisper said.

Nigel shook his head. "You see far too much of the color red in WindClan. There's so much fighting that you begin to see blood even when you look up at the sky."

Whisper blinked. "Well, that seems unpleasant."

Nigel nodded again. "Why did you decide to come, anyway?"

Whisper shrugged. "Well, what am I accomplishing by staying here?"

Nigel also shrugged.

They sat next to each other in silence, but it was hardly awkward. Nigel, at first conflicted, was at peace with Whisper sitting next to him.

But then he remembered the other times he'd let his guard down near a she-cat. He remembered Rita, the she-cat he fell in love with as an early warrior. The day she left was the day that he swore never to love again. Of course, that went down the drain with the female he was mates with as a leader, but the point still stood. Love was not a good idea. It never was.

He looked over at Whisper. The red sunlight shone in her eyes, but it didn't have the same effect as starlight did. Nigel preferred the silvery light of starlight in her blue eyes. She was beautiful...

 _No._

His thoughts stopped abruptly. Before his fascination could grow any worse, he quickly stood and left, leaving Whisper alone and confused.

 _(POV: Lukas)_

Lukas returned to the camp, his paws making imprints in the blood. His hind leg sank into a puddle of it, and he recoiled.

He was the first to return. Kinkstar had moved RiverClan into a temporary camp until the blood was cleaned and the bodies removed. He was sent to identify the dead from the other clans. The medicine cats would be here soon with a few warriors to bring the bodies back home.

After ThunderClan had made off with Rockpaw last night, WindClan and RiverClan faced each other hesitantly.

"RiverClan, we didn't come for you, we came for ThunderClan," Thistletoothsaid. "To rescue Rockpaw and take him to his sister. But now ThunderClan has gone. We failed. We'll return home."

Kinkstar growled and looked like he was going to snap a retort-a typical Kinkstar move-but then he looked around. His warriors could barely stand. Caesar lost his footing as Lukas watched, and fell into a small puddle of melted, dark snow.

"Fine," Kinkstar said instead. "Leave. _Now_."

Lukas saw Sorrelspot, graceful as always even with his fur matted with mud and blood, and Digger, his movements a little more rudimentary, struggle with a half-limp Tigerstar. Anytime else, he would have went over to help him, but he could barely stand on his own right now.

When the last of WindClan had gone, Lukas wanted to collapse to the ground as some of the other warriors were doing, but the idea of sitting in someone else's insides wasn't very appealing. He remained standing, balancing on the tips of his paws.

"Stingpaw! Where's Stingpaw?!" The dark brown she-cat that was Heatherclaw was hidden underneath a blanket of crimson.

"Fallpaw?!" Whiteclaw, his black fur only a shadow, called to his younger brother.

"Lunarstreak!" The white paw of Dustflame's was placed over his mate's heart. "Oh StarClan..."

"Beetle'eye! He won't wake up..."

"Blossomkit's gone..."

"Caesar, help me with him." Sharptooth supported Jaggedheart with a shoulder. Caesar, barely able to stand himself, still came forward to help. _There_ was something that Lukas could never understand. The rules of life are simple: look after yourself first and others after you're sure that you're okay. Doing that will keep the balance of the world, and if you upset that, then everything becomes uneven. Too much value on one cat leads to disaster. It's why Lukas had never loved and he didn't believe he ever would.

He watched all these cats' pain, and he was glad of that decision.

Now he watched the sun rise over the camp and wanted to squeeze his eyes shut and fold into himself until he had disappeared. The entire camp-his home-was covered in the red consequence of conflict. It took on a metallic sheen as the sunlight touched it. Lukas wondered if the smell would ever be cleansed from his mind. He almost wanted to turn back and tell Kinkstar to find someone else for this job.

"Hey, Lukas." A call from behind him.

He half-turned to look. "Aetherstripe."

Aetherstripe, an amber-eyed grey tom with one black streak, was a fighter that Lukas admired. He didn't use the typical moves of a clan cat, instead reminding Lukas of the Western cats he used to know.

"Did Kinkstar send you?" Lukas asked.

"Of course not," Aetherstripe said. "But am I right that you don't want to do this alone?"

Lukas hesitated before nodding. Most of anybody else, and he'd tell them to leave him alone, but he knew Aetherstripe better than he knew anyone else in the Clan.

"Well, then." Aetherstripe walked ahead of Lukas, deftly maneuvering around the puddle of blood he had previously stepped in. "Shall we?"

As bad as the situation was, Lukas felt slightly better in his company.

They walked forward, Lukas slightly behind Aetherstripe. Aetherstripe headed directly for a corpse in front of the HighRock, although his pace faltered somewhat as he came closer.

The hung back a few paces and tried to identify the cat from a distance. Snow dusted its fur and hid its face, so that proved to be impossible.

They crept closer.

"I think that it's Beeclaw from ThunderClan," Lukas whispered.

Aetherstripe nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, good enough for me."

They backed up until they were a considerable distance away.

"Regretting your decision?" Lukas asked.

"Uh, maybe." Aetherstripe shook his fur.

Lukas laughed, but it was more of a rueful laughter than one of humor.

"Might as well get it done," he said, and waited for his clanmate to lead the way.

 _(POV: Weststar)_

Weststar again sat by the river, awaiting his friend. His eyes were trained on the water, burning with the same fiery light as the sunset that ignited the bloody scene at the RiverClan camp.

This was all the work of one cat. One cat started all this, and Weststar didn't know how well he would handle the death of his old clanmates. He'd known Beetle'eye most of his life, and he'd just seen him speaking with Miso on the Sunhill. Dead. Dead, and it was all the fault of one single cat.

Pawsteps sounded to his left before he could further explore that train of thought.

"Weststar." Red Ash sounded out of breath. "Weststar, I've done it. I've made it right."

Weststar scoffed in dismay. He couldn't bring himself to even look at Red Ash. "Made it _right_? You've brought one cat to life, and that's supposed to make everything alright again? Are you naive enough to think that this will actually work? Remember what happened to the last cat that got brought back to life?"

Red Ash shrank back. "But, I... I brought him back to life, for Rockpaw."

"Yeah," Weststar snapped, "you did that. Now do you know where Rockpaw is?"

Red Ash shook his head.

"What about Stingpaw? And Fallpaw, and Blossomkit, or Ciderstar?"

Red Ash was silent.

"Get away from me, Red Ash."

"But I'm sorry, Weststar."

"I don't care. Get away from me, before fucking I kill you."

Red Ash took a breath like he was going to say something, but then he closed his mouth and ran off.

Weststar closed his eyes.

Stingpaw was most likely going to die within the next couple of days. And there was nothing that Weststar could do, besides look into this fake river and watch.

 _(POV: Fallpaw)_

Sunrise colored the sky a crimson red. The shadows of pine trees were outlined against it, and Fallpaw found the chill to be worse than anything he had experienced in his own camp.

He saw the cat he recognized as Rustclaw of ThunderClan, the missing one that was presumed dead, killed by the claws of ShadowClan. Apparently, instead of killing him, they'd kept him as a prisoner along with Flamekit, and now Blossomkit.

The whole situation made Fallpaw feel like a kit again, but not the times when he lay warm and safe against his mother's soft belly. More like the time the river flooded the camp and he'd spent the night crammed into his father's lean, cold muscle.

Except now he hadn't even that much. He was thrown by the scruff of his neck into a hollow underneath a bush on the opposite side from Rustclaw. He lay there shivering and alone, hearing the warriors guarding him joke about about "a job well done," commending Viperswipe. Not only had they gotten the kit they came for (there was much praise for Trickpaw as well), they'd also gotten one of RiverClan's medicine cats. The best one out of the both if them, so the rumors said.

They silenced suddenly, and Fallpaw perked his ears at the silence.

"Jaunestar would like to see him," an assertive male voice said.

There was a small shift in the snow as they moved out of the way.

"Come with me," the cat said, addressing Fallpaw.

Fallpaw, his body shaking with more than just cold now, slowly stood. If there was anything he wasn't, it was a coward. Injured and frightened as he might be, he came forward.

And gasped in surprise. The tom that stood before him had unique off-white fur that glinted brilliant golden in the sunrise light, and his eyes were an intense green-blue that Fallpaw was entrapped in. He'd always admired Calixte from a distance, as all apprentices did. He was a legend, even more so than Dustspike of WindClan. Fallpaw wasn't even a warrior, and he wanted to be like him. His grace, his intensity, and his brilliance caught him by surprise. He'd never stood so close to him before.

The tom seemed amused by the way Fallpaw was captivated by his appearance. He moved out of the way, and Fallpaw saw Jaunestar coming to him.

Those orange eyes locked onto Fallpaw's, and it was a different kind of intensity that kept his eyes glued to his. He'd never seen Jaunestar up close before either, and it wasn't something he ever wanted to do again. He'd counted himself lucky he'd never been directly addressed by Trickpaw before, but this haf to be much worse.

"Your name is Fallpaw, correct?" Jaunestar asked.

Fallpaw could only nod.

"That's an odd name. Come, walk with me."

He turned and stalked away. Fallpaw didn't immediately follow him, but a glare from Calixte was enough to get him limping along. The bronze-furred tom followed them.

"So, Fallpaw, would you say that you are a good medicine cat?"

"Yeah, I suppose I'd say so," Fallpaw answered, his voice shaking.

Jaunestar nodded. "And would you be prepared to do me a favor, Fallpaw?"

Fallpaw looked behind him, at Calixte. The warrior narrowed his eyes.

"Um, yes. Of course."

Jaunestar smiled. "Good." He stopped walking and faced an enshadowed den. "This is the medicine den. Go in there and do whatever Cedarweb tells you to."

Fallpaw looked up at him. There was a scratch down his face that the apprentice hadn't noticed before, a little bit of dried blood coloring his golden markings. His orange eyes held hatred inside them, shadowed but still there. He tilted his head questioningly, and Fallpaw quickly averted his eyes.

He hurried into the den.

A dark, russet she-cat with black markings was alone in the den, hurrying to try and organize a messy pile of herbs. This den was not nearly as well-lit as the RiverClan medicine den, but Fallpaw supposed the entire territory would be like that. It seemed apparent that he would be here for a while, so he told himself to get used to it.

The cat looked up as he entered.

"Good," Cedarweb said. "You're here. Help me sort this out, and then I need you to see to Trickpaw's wounds. Hawkstripe's apprentice did quite a number on him, though he denies it. I'll save you the torture of having to patch up Viperswipe's wounds, but you'll have to take care of Redpaw, Searpaw, and Justess while I go to RiverClan to pick up ourdead. I believe that those are Lakepaw, Birdfeather, Fishtail, and Weedheart. I think that Calixte is assigned to guard you for today."

Fallpaw nodded, barely able to register what she was saying, she was talking so fast. He began to limp over to her.

"Wait, don't move," she snapped. Fallpaw stopped midstep.

"Put your fucking leg down, and let me see your wound." She stepped over to him, and he held out his hurt paw.

She examined in. "It'll hurt for a while, but I'll get it patched up quick."

Fallpaw nodded. He'd seen her work before. She was fast, faster than anyone else. Mousewhisker liked to say that his work was "slow but sure," but really, he was the worst medicine cat that Fallpaw had ever seen. Most of what Fallpaw had learned, he'd learned from Darkstone, the dead ThunderClan medicine cat, and Sorrelspot. Cedarweb had never been his favorite cat. Unlike Digger, he had always avoided her as much as possible.

Fallpaw exited the den when he was patched up and all the leaves were sorted out. He was carrying a few leaves in his jaws, and Calixte, following Cedarweb's orders, showed him to the apprentices' den.

"In here," the warrior said, and tilted his head in the direction of a hollow burnt-black tree stump. The top was covered by brambles and leaves twisted together. Fallpaw nodded and ducked into the den.

There were three apprentices inside. Fallpaw had only met two of them, Searpaw and Redpaw. They were sisters, orphans. Trickpaw was someone that Fallpaw had never specifically sought out or avoided. But now, with those hard golden eyes staring at him, he wanted to be anywhere but there. His heart beat erratically.

But if there was one thing that Mousewhisker had taught him, it was professionalism.

He set down his herbs next to Searpaw, a white she-cat with ginger patches and amber eyes, and addressed her.

"Cedarweb sent me to check on your wounds," he said softly.

"Just me?" Searpaw asked.

Fallpaw shook his head. "All three of you." He accidentally made eye contact with Trickpaw and his heart must have stopped, he was so scared. But even if his eyes betrayed his fear, neither his voice nor his actions did.

Redpaw nodded. Her fur was not red, it was an ashy grey. She was named Redpaw for the way her mother died. Slashed dead by a fox, covering her in her mother's blood. Searpaw was next-the fox even got is claws on her, leaving her with a scar on the side of her face-but Jaunestar, deputy then, and Muddyeye, a young warrior then, saved them.

Fallpaw went to work on Searpaw's wounds. He took the soiled cobwebs off and laid them down, then chewed the leaves into mush and spread it onto her fur.

The three apprentices made conversation amongst themselves, but Fallpaw didn't notice. When he was finished with Searpaw, he moved onto Redpaw.

When he began on Redpaw's wounds, their was a silence in the middle of the conversation. Fallpaw noticed a swelling in Redpaw's jaw and dropped what he was doing.

"What happened to your jaw, Redpaw?" he asked.

"Hm?" Redpaw looked at him. "Oh, uh, some bastard rammed my face into a rock last night."

Fallpaw cocked his head. "Didn't Cedarweb look at it?"

Redpaw shrugged. "She had a lot to do at that moment, don't you think?"

Fallpaw nodded. "I suppose so. I'll look at it in a minute."

He finished with her and moved on to Trickpaw apprehensively. Although they were the same age, Trickpaw had an air about him that made the RiverClan apprentice feel like a kit again, in the cold, an equally icy body attempting to keep him warm but making it worse.

Or maybe today was just a nostalgic day.

Trickpaw's fur was a perfect black that Fallpaw envied. He felt a odd satisfaction in seeing how the wounds that Rockpaw inflicted had ruined his pelt.

Trickpaw was completely still during the process but not rigid. He showed Fallpaw where he'd pulled a claw on his left paw. Fallpaw nodded and said there was nothing abnormal about it so far.

"I'll be right back," Fallpaw said to Redpaw, and exited the den.

Instead of Calixte in front of the den, Fallpaw saw a light grey tom with yellow eyes and ruffled fur licking his paw.

He looked at Fallpaw and lowered his paw to the ground. "Calixte had something to do," he said. "I'll be guarding you. I can't quite remember your name. Was it Leafpaw?"

"Fallpaw. You?"

"Wolfclaw. Nice to meet you."

"I wish it was." Fallpaw headed to the medicine den.

Inside it, Cedarweb wasn't there, but Fallpaw remembered where the herbs he needed were.

He also knew where the deathberries were.

He caught sight of the bright red berries, and noticed how he was alone in the den. Wolfclaw was waiting outside, and no one would know if he ate one. No one would know until it was too late. There were so many stories, about warriors who found ways to kill themselves so they didn't become prisoners to their enemies. Yoshitsugu, the great RiverClan deputy, was already dying of a serious sickness, and asked his most loyal warrior to kill him before he was taken by ThunderClan. Satahiro, the cat who would rather drown himself than be captured by rogues. Fallpaw was in their position now, having to be the warrior that makes the decision to best serve his own clan.

Except he wasn't a warrior. A warrior is only good for one thing: killing. But a medicine cat?

If there was one thing he couldn't do, it was letting himself die while there was still even one cat in need. And there was a whole forest full of cats that were in need.

So he grabbed the herbs he needed and hurried back to the apprentices' den.

 _(POV: Rustclaw)_

Rustclaw watched the RiverClan apprentice bolt from one side of the camp to the other. He seemed to be taking this very well, being forced to care for a clan that wasn't his. It was technically against the medicine cats' vows to refuse, although he hadn't taken them yet. If nothing else, it must have hurt his pride.

There was another kit now, a RiverClan kit. ShadowClan had four prisoners now. And ThunderClan probably wouldn't be doing anything about it now that Shatteredgaze was in charge.

Rustclaw sighed and closed his eyes. He guessed he'd just have to do something about it, then.

 _(POV: Sorrelspot)_

When the relief that Tigerstar was okay and memories again intact subsided, Sorrelspot became angry. He was already low on herbs, and with leafbare here, he couldn't harvest any more. Now he and Digger had close to no herbs, and Scarletclaws and Firefur were missing, presumed dead.

Sorrelspot had told Tigerstar that going to fight against ThunderClan was a bad idea. He'd told him again and again, but Tigerstar was so set on the idea. And now, look around. At all the dead bodies.

After Sorrelspot had made sure that Tigerstar was okay, he scolded him for at least twenty minutes, cursing and growling and pacing. He was the only cat in WindClan that could get away with disrespecting the leader in such a way, and Tigerstar took it with stoic body language and dry eyes. Sorrelspot was often sarcastic and scorning, but rarely ever does he gets so mad. But he was never graceless, and his storming out through the exit was perfectly executed.

Inside his den and heading to his nest, Digger knew better than to speak to him and Whitepaw was too polite to, but Reid either wasn't, or he didn't care.

"Rough day?" he called.

Sorrelspot stopped in his tracks. If there was just one cat that he didn't want to get in a conversation with right now, it was that fucking _asshole_. Digger tensed, and Whitepaw took a few paces back. Digger had warned her he would be like this. He always was, when he grieved.

" _Fuck off_ ," he growled to Reid.

And he went into his nest. Whitepaw and Digger let out the breaths they'd been holding, expecting something a little more explosive. "Digger, in one hour we're going to RiverClan," he called, and then was silent.

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

Rockpaw woke suddenly, so suddenly that it scared the cat next to him, and her paws withdrew from his fur. He stood suddenly, his claws out.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded. She didn't get a chance to answer before he was tackled from the side. He cried out in pain, and his vision began to darken again.

 _What the_ fuck _?_ _!_ He thought.

"Bloodeye!" the she-cat yelled. "Are you crazy? Get off him!"

The weight on Rockpaw's ribs removed itself, and he lay on the ground wheezing.

"Well, what was I supposed to do, Tearfall?" Rockpaw looked up and saw a thin black tom speaking. He faced Rockpaw, and the apprentice realized that he had two different-colored eyes, one grey and one a murderous shade of orange.

"Oh, shit," he breathed. "Shit shit shit."

"I dunno, maybe _not kill the patient_?" The she-cat, Tearfall, was light grey with a white tuft on her chest.

"He deserves to die anyway," the tom mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Rockpaw attempted to stand.

The black tom hissed at him. "Stay down."

Rockpaw growled back, but it was half-assed. "Fuck off."

He bared his teeth and prepared to say something.

"Bloodeye!" Tearfall chastised again. "Get out if you've nothing good to do in here."

Bloodeye sighed and rolled his mismatched eyes, but settled down.

"Oh, I see he's awake." An old voice sounded, and the three of them looked.

Another black cat came into Rockpaw's blurry view.

"Yellowskull." Tearfall dipped her head to him in respect. Bloodeye did the same.

Yellowskull looked over the three of them with scrutinizing grey eyes. "Well, I can see we've already gotten off on the wrong paw here."

Rockpaw backed up and bared his teeth at the tom.

"What's your name?" the old tom asked.

"Who the hell are you?" Rockpaw shot back.

"My name is Yellowskull, that's Bloodeye, and that's Tearfall. Tearfall and I are two of the three medicine cats in SkyClan."

"You're a clan? Not any fucking name I ever heard of."

Yellowskull tilted his head. "You're in a clan?"

Rockpaw said and did nothing.

"A question was asked of you," Bloodeye growled. " _Answer_."

Everyone looked at Rockpaw expectantly. A moment that felt like ten passed by, and he finally sighed. _I'm too tired for this shit_ , he thought.

"My name is Rockpaw, of ThunderClan."

All three of the cats looked at him in surprise.

"I was skeptical before," Yellowskull said. "But now I definitely think that you're the one we're looking for."

"Well, I always knew he was a little _prick_ ," Bloodeye snarled.

"Bloodeye!" Tearfall scolded. "Honestly, this attitude is something I'd expect from a kit."

"I'll go tell Sphinxface that he's awake," Yellowskull said, and darted away. Or whatever passed for darting at his age.

The three cats in the den sat in awkward silence. Rockpaw had many questions to ask, of course, but he didn't want to tick off Bloodeye. Normally, he wouldn't care, but he wasn't eager to get into a fight. Not with his entire body in as pain as it was. Maybe another day.

His mind turned to the memories of the night before, and he inhaled sharply. What had happened to Fallpaw, after he had gotten cornered by that warrior? He was probably dead. And Stingpaw? Well, he was probably dead, too.

Pawsteps hurried into the den, and Rockpaw looked up. It wasn't Yellowskull. It was a grey cat with black tabby stripes and orange eyes. Rockpaw couldn't tell if it was a male or female until it spoke.

"Tearfall." He dipped his head to the medicine cat. "Brother." He did little more than flick his ear to acknowledge Bloodeye.

"Brother." Bloodeye nodded.

The tabby tom faced Rockpaw. "Our leader sent me to fetch you. My name is Poisontongue."

"Rockpaw."

He nodded. "Nice to meet you. Are you okay to walk?"

"Of course I am," Rockpaw said, although he was skeptical. He had no desire to walk, unless he was walking away from these weird-ass cats and back home.

Poisontongue nodded. "Then follow me." He turned and walked away, to the exit.

The best that Rockpaw could do was limp behind him at a slow crawl.

When he made it out into sunlight, his paws were drowned in snow. He looked around. The place these cats lived in looked like a clan camp, complete with a HighRock and even a fresh-kill pile, sparse as it may be.

There weren't many cats at this time of day, almost sunhigh, but the ones that were around stared at Rockpaw as soon as he made it out into daylight. All of the faces were stranger to him, except one that he recognized immediately. And the cat recognized Rockpaw, too, he could see.

Poisontongue led Rockpaw to a space in between the HighRock and camp walls. There was an entrance curtained by bare vines that he tilted his head towards. Hesitantly, Rockpaw headed into the shadows, feeling like he was walking right into his execution.


	19. Chapter 15:: Unprincipled

**Wow, guys, thanks for all your support!**

 **(I've just changed the picture for the story. It's pretty impossible to read, so I'll say it here:** _ **It's my demons that hold the knife. I'm just the unlucky bystander**_ **.)**

 **So, this quote isn't from a song, it's from a TV show (that I don't own),** _ **Supernatural**_ **. It's from s8e5,** _ **Blood Brother**_ **. It's pretty great.**

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 _"I am evil, after all. At least I have that much to keep me cold at night."_

 _-_ The Old Man from _Supernatural_

Chapter 15:: Unprincipled

Rockpaw entered the den and saw only darkness. His eyes quickly accustomed to the shadows, and he saw the figure of a white-and-grey cat. It was on the smaller side of average size, and its eyes were an intense, petrifying jewel-like blue.

Next to him, was a dark-furred longhaired cat that looked over Rockpaw studiously. If the white cat was the leader of this clan, SkyClan, then the longhaired cat must be his deputy. He looked to be a capable warrior. His muscles were lean, and everything about him seemed to blend in with the shadows around him, down to the glittering dark green of his eyes.

"Your name is Rockpaw? You're from ThunderClan?" the dark-furred cat spoke, and Rockpaw jumped. He'd expected the white cat to be the first to speak.

"Uh, yes," he said quickly. "And who are you?"

The white tom spoke up. "My name is Sphinxface. I am the leader of SkyClan. This," he made a gesture to the grey cat, "is my most trusted medicine cat, Sinclaw."

The grey cat dipped his head to Rockpaw. Rockpaw returned the guesture out of habit, but he was slightly confused. That would make three medicine cats he's met in one clan. Rockpaw had never heard of a clan with three medicine cats before. And if Sphinxface's deputy wasn't next to him when receiving a guest, then where was he? And, while on the subject of Sphinxface, what kind of name was that for a leader?

Rockpaw decided to keep his mouth shut, instead of asking those questions aloud. Talking hurt his lungs, anyway.

"So, tell me your story, Rockpaw," Sphinxface said.

Rockpaw shifted position uncomfortably. "What story?"

"The events which led to you being here, of course."

Rockpaw took a breath and a moment to recall the events of last night. He flinched away from them.

"I was running away from someone," he said vaguely.

"From who?" Sphnixface pressed.

Rockpaw sighed. "It doesn't matter who I was running from. Just that they were trying to kill me." _And an entire clan of cats were willing to sacrifice themselves for me. An entire clan, and Hawkstripe._

The warrior's death was still painful, although with the shock of the unfolding of other events, that particular pain was diluted. Still, it was worse than any of his physical pain.

"And I was running, and I passed out in a ditch, woke up here."

Sphinxface narrowed his eyes and shared a glance with Sinclaw. Sinclaw shrugged slightly.

"Poisontongue!" The SkyClan leader shouted.

The black tabby cat came in beside Rockpaw and dipped is head to both his leader and his medicine cat.

"Poisontongue-" Sphinxface didn't bow his head in return- "when, you, Shadowflame, and Wilting Flame found Rockpaw, what kind of a state was he in?"

"He was completely unresponsive," the warrior said."Shadowflame and I had to carry him. Tearfall said that his ribs were broken, and he could barely breathe from the cold. Not to mention his open wounds, ice the only thing keeping them from bleeding more."

Sphinxface nodded to him. "So, Rockpaw, you ran all the way here from ThunderClan half-frozen and with broken bones?" He shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Try again."

"Well, I actually came from RiverClan," Rockpaw amended.

"RiverClan?" Sinclaw flicked his tail. "What was a ThunderClan cat doing in RiverClan?"

"I told you. Running."

"Rockpaw," Sphinxface sighed. "If you don't give me details, then I'll just have to assume that you're lying. A highly skilled liar myself, I know when someone's keeping the truth from me. And by God, if you're keeping the truth from me, I'll extract it from you as I rip out your claws."

Rockpaw reared back from the leader's threat. What the hell kind of leader was this? What kind of fucking Clan was this, a mysterious band of cats that Rockpaw had never heard of, threatening to torture him?

"So. Tell me a story, Rockpaw. Start from the beginning, and you'd better pray to _Jesus_ I don't find you guilty."

Rockpaw looked up at him, meeting his eyes and then immediately wishing he hadn't. This intensity in his gaze was unlike anything Rockpaw had seen before, far different from Trickpaw's golden darkness, or Dominique's gleam of lunacy. It sparked like white-hot starlight, meaning to scorch Rockpaw's soul to a smoking corpse.

"Because I am your God."

 _(POV: Lukas/Sorrelspot)_

The WindClan medicine cats were the first to arrive. Lukas and Aetherstripe led them to the camp solemnly. Sorrelspot looked especially pained, his fur for the first time unkempt although his movements were forever graceful.

"This is something I never wanted to do," Aetherstripe whispered to Lukas. "Fighting in itself is hard enough, but being forced to see the consequences of every bite and scratch is the worst. I can't imagine the pain of being a medicine cat."

Lukas nodded and looked back at Sorrelspot. He didn't even want to _try_ and imagine. Behind the medicine cats trod two warriors, Dustspike and Vesto, heavily wounded but probably the two cats in the best condition.

Ducking into the camp, Lukas wished he could stop breathing just to keep the smell from entering his lungs.

As silently as he could, he led Sorrelspot and Digger to Firefur's body while Aetherstripe led the warriors to Scarletclaws.

Technically, Lukas and Aetherstripe's job earlier had been to both identify the bodies _and_ make them presentable to the medicine cats, but the two had barely enough courage to go within three tail-lengths of them.

The hardest ones had been Fishtail, Beetle'eye, and Cedarnose. Beetle'eye was a dear friend to everyone in the clan, but dear the most to his sister, who depended on him for almost everything. Indeed, her entire reputation as one of the best fighters in the clans was because of him.

Looking back on the battle, Lukas remembered clearly landing the blow that killed Cedarnose. In the heat of the moment, he hadn't thought much of it, but now, he felt the sharp claw of guilt.

And Fishtail, the less-than-attractive she-cat that Aetherstripe ripped the life out of. The black-streaked tom was a quiet and graceful fighter, but his killings were always so _brutal_. Brutal, but efficient. Lukas supposed he'd rather have brutal efficiency in his clan than delicate inefficiency.

"If there's anything I can do," Lukas said softly to Sorrelspot, "you can let me know."

Sorrelspot looked up and locked eyes with him. They saw each other clearly then, the broken insides of Sorrelspot that he always tried to keep hidden, and the total disinterest Lukas had in anyone that wasn't himself. They'd always known each other well, but never here, standing over a dead body.

"Thank you," Sorrelspot said dryly. He turned to Firefur, a cat that had been scorned and ridiculed ever since the day she nearly sacrificed her life for a loner that was only using her. He'd promised to protect her. This was _all_ his fault. He looked around at the bloody clearing and cringed away. He was a goddamn medicine cat, one of the best in the clans. The job of the medicine cat was not just to heal wounds, it was to preserve peace. He was better than this. He should have prevented this battle, seen it coming days in advance. Why wasn't StarClan speaking to him?

"You may go," Sorrelspot told Lukas.

Lukas dipped his head to both Sorrelspot and Digger before padding away. No matter which plan they were from, any medicine cat was held at a higher level of respect than a warrior.

The RiverClan warrior met Aetherstripe in the middle of the camp.

"We should leave them," Aetherstripe said. Lukas nodded silently as he looked back at the medicine cats.

When they returned to the temporary camp, they saw Cedarweb talking with Kinkstar, offering her condolences. She had three warriors with her, since she didn't have an apprentice. Mintwillow, the ShadowClan deputy, Quilltail, a black-speckled white tom, and Wolfclaw, of course.

"Lukas, Aetherstripe," Kinkstar called. The two toms hurried over.

The silver tom's eyes were heavy with fatigue. "Please, can you show Cedarweb to her clanmates?"

The two warriors hesitated before nodding. If nothing else, it would be slightly easier than handling Sorrelspot. Lukas had never known the ShadowClan medicine cat very well.

Aetherstripe sighed and gestured in the direction of the camp with his tail. "Shall we?" he asked Lukas.

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

Sphinxface stared intensely as Rockpaw finished his story.

"So," he said, "you ran away from two battles? And in both, someone sacrificed themselves for you?"

Rockpaw nodded.

"Well, you're quite the popular guy, huh?"

 _I wish,_ Rockpaw thought.

"You do realize that that is the most implausible story in existence?"

Rockpaw shrugged.

Sphinxface looked at his medicine cat, who also shrugged. The leader turned his eyes back to Rockpaw.

"I wish I could believe that you are telling the truth," he said. "Unfortunately, I sense that you aren't telling me the whole truth."

Rockpaw opened his mouth to protest, but Sphinxface hushed him.

"No, you've had your chance to cooperate. Now you must confess, and recieve your penance, however brutal it may be. Poisontongue, take him back to Tearfall."

"No! Wait!" Rockpaw blurted. "Please, you wouldn't hurt me, would you? An injured half-warrior?"

Sphinxface laughed out loud. "Oh, please. You're assuming I have some kind of morals. The thing is, Rockpaw, we are all sinners deep inside. At least I admit it. Poisontongue!"

The tabby warrior escorted Rockpaw out solemnly. Rockpaw limped after him numbly.

 _(POV: Stingpaw)_

He lay on the ground at the edge of the camp, trying not to look at the other cats. If they could still be called cats. He still couldn't tell which ones were dead. They all smelled like crow-food.

He closed his eyes as the tears streamed down his face again. He just wanted his home back. He wanted his father back. Was Weststar even watching him from StarClan? Did he care? From what Stingpaw remembered, he hadn't cared much while he was alive. In death, why would he be any different? If he cared, then he would have done something by now.

Stingpaw curled into himself to try and block out the cold. His tears froze the fur on his face, but however hard he tried, he wasn't strong enough to stop it.

So he cried.

And, just maybe, he died.


	20. Chapter 16:: Of Shadows and Ice

**Hey, guys, another short one that took me a ridiculous amount of time to complete. Might've left you on a bit of a cliffhanger, but hopefully the next chapter won't take so long to complete.**

 **As always, thank you all for your support, and I hope you enjoy!**

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 _"A sacrifice is only worth as much as the life it spares."_

 _-Dark Souls III_

Chapter 16:: Of Shadows And Ice

Whisper walked beside Eliza, a striking, if not entirely attractive dark red she-cat, but not much had been said in the last hour. Whisper's mind was on Nigel, who was walking with Sergei a few tail-lengths ahead.

The reason Whisper had agreed to go was not entirely because of the cream-and-white tom. Her brother, Ramen, lived in the twoleg town near where they were headed, still living with the old housefolk. She hadn't seen him in years, and needed to again. He would know what to do about her problem. He was the only cat Whisper could trust, and that was really sad.

Because she wished she would trust him, Nigel. Her mother said to her once that if you love a cat, really love them, then you sacrifice your wants for their needs.

But did she love Nigel?

Perhaps. But the bigger question was: did she trust him?

 _(POV: Nigel)_

Was it just him, or was the stench of blood getting stronger the closer he got to WindClan borders? He was still very far away, but it was like he could already hear the screeches of innocents getting slaughtered.

And for some reason, he looked forward to seeing it firsthand.

He looked behind him, and made eye contact with Whisper. The sunlight didn't have the same effect on her fur as starlight did was the first thing he thought. Instead of a silver shimmering on her grey fur, her pelt was a metallic golden sheen. Golden light glinted in her green eyes, and yes, it was very different. But beautiful, nonetheless.

 _Dammit._ Nigel looked away. He couldn't think about her now, not when he was _so close_. She had to be the furthest thing from his mind if he ever hoped to succeed.

And so he kept his eyes forward and his head held high. Who needs love, anyway?

 _(POV: Trickpaw)_

It was wrong that all these cats were commending Trickpaw for a job well done with Blossomkit. He was by no means proud of what he did, or for the major wounds he gave Rockpaw. He was ashamed. Not to mention the blow on his reputation. Trickpaw the Kit Stealer. Just fucking perfect. He imagined countless battles in which warriors targeted him for the revenge of their lost clanmates.

He growled a little and shook his head to clear it. He tried to expel the hatred of his father. He tried every single fucking day, and always failed.

" _Trickpaw_!"

Trickpaw looked up sharply. Muddyeye, his mentor, was glaring at him impatiently. He'd gotten lost in thought again, but could he really be blamed? The day after the most intense battle of their lives, Jaunestar had ordered training to go on if both the apprentice and the mentor were deemed able-bodied by Cedarweb. That would have included Trickpaw whether Cedarweb had liked it or not.

But Trickpaw's job last night had been simple, and his wounds were sparse. Scarletfire didn't usually attract too much attention, so his injuries were meager. Therefore, today was a day for training. Battle training, as usual. Rigorous as usual, _boring_ as usual. Life was generally very boring. The only thing that had been mildly interesting of late was the ThunderClan prisoner, Rustclaw. He was planning something, Trickpaw could tell. Whatever it was, he looked forward to seeing how he would possibly pull it off. Snapping a branch off of the bush he was under and stabbing a warrior in the heart? Strangling someone with the tail of a squirrl? A trip to the dirtplace gone wrong? He snickered a little at the possibilities of that one.

" _Trickpaw_."

Scarletfire's voice startled Trickpaw out of his thoughts. He'd gone into another trance.

"Sorry, sir," he said. "I'm just a little distracted."

"Yes, I can see that," Scarletfire said dryly. Trickpaw took a breath and tried to focus on the marshes around him. Only a moon or so left of apprenticeship, and then he would be a warrior. A great honor, given to him by his righteous and all-knowing father and leader, Jaunestar of ShadowClan. He laughed ruefully. If only that was the case.

"Now what are you doing?" Scarletfire sighed.

Trickpaw shrugged. The thing about being a warrior he was looking forward to the most was being far away from this unremarkable cat. A smaller cat with dark red fur and bland grey eyes, moderate fighting skils (at best), and the most socially awkward cat Trickpaw knew. StarClan, Trickpaw hated him. Jaunestar had done most of the training involving Trickpaw.

"Okay, Trickpaw. I need to tell you something, " Scarletfire sighed defeatedly, taking a step closer to his apprentice.

"Yes?" Trickpaw met his gaze, realizing that he was pretty much taller than the warrior at this point. Not that it was any kind of great achievement.

"Once all this dies down, you'll have your warrior assessment. I have no doubt you will pass."

"Neither do I," Trickpaw cut in.

Scarletfire made a noise somewhat similar to a forced laugh. "That confidence will get you far. But it won't be worth anything if you keep doing your father's biddng without question."

Trickpaw narrowed his eyes. "What are you getting at?"

"Well, what kind of name do you think you're making for yourself? Trickpaw, the apprentice protege that specializes in kit theft. You know how much of a target that makes you? The stain on your reputation. Trickpaw, I've known you since you were a kit. This isn't you."

Trickpaw's face was, as always, completely emotionless. His golden eyes glittered, unsettlingly stonelike. "All due respect, of course, Scarletfire... you don't know shit about me."

Scarletfire laughed to himself and shook his head. "If only." He sighed and stalked away, passing Trickpaw. "We'll do this again tomorrow. Go hunt or something."

When he was out of sight, Trickpaw relaxed his posture, slouching. The worst thing about being addressed by his superiors was having to sit straight. His back constantly ached from it.

The truth was, Scarletfire was, for once, completely correct. Again Trickpaw wondered how Rockpaw was doing. If there was one thing he regretted about last night, it was the way he hit Rockpaw and kept hitting. The poor apprentice was probably dead.

Trickpaw flinched as that realization hit him. The possibility of Rockpaw's death hurt him more than it should have. The loss of somewhat of a friend and an interesting case such as Rockpaw depressed him immediately.

He sighed and began walking in the opposite direction of Scarletfire and the camp. He was heading in the direction of the ThunderClan border for no particular reason. Maybe he'd see somebody he liked, or somebody slightly more sufferable than other cats at least. Although with Dominique in charge, that was highly improbable.

His paws sunk into muddy snow, and he cringed. It was funny how he could wade into pools upon pools of blood every night, but finds stepping in a bit of mud absolutely repulsive.

After shaking his fur out, he continued. There was only so long he was going to dwell on it.

The ThunderPath was quiet, its only disturbance on the air being the rancid stench that surrounded it. Trickpaw slid through the bushes on the side of it and padded lightly onto the rough, prickly grass.

He looked across black path expecting to see nothing, but what he saw, he couldn't fucking believe.

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

In the darkness, Rockpaw shivered of the cold. The herbs on him were frozen into place, and the broken bones in him ached sharply without even a single poppy seed to numb him. Tearfall had seemed apologetic when she had sent Poisontongue to put him in this prison. If Sphinxface hadn't ordered it, he didn't think she would have treated him so poorly.

He thought of Stingpaw more than anything else. Was Rockpaw really worth his sacrifice? Worth Hawkstripe's? Dammit, was he worth anything at all?

No, he's just a sad little rodent dying slowly in a prison, miles away from home. He doesn't matter. Nobody loves him. No one at all. They'll all die for him, but who could ever, _ever_ , love him?

No one.

No one loved him.

He messed everything up, and no one loves him anymore.

He closed his eyes and his tears fell into the dirt, freezing into tiny droplets in the earth. The air turned Cold as Darkness surrounded him, Iciness shrouding his mind and blurring whatever vision in his soul the Shadows had left alone.

 _It's alright, dear,_ said a new voice, now. _At least you have me._

And then the Snow took over his heart, and the breath in his throat Froze over.


	21. Chapter 17:: Somewhat of a Prophecy

**Oh my god, I am so sorry for the long wait. I don't even have a good excuse. Let's just say that severe depression and atrocious grades don't mix. I've been trying to work on this, as it is literally my top priority, but things have happened.**

 **By the way, I am a beta reader now! I'm open to a lot of different types of works, so check out my profile for more info!**

 **And now, the chapter you've all been waiting for:**

* * *

 _"Centuries passed, and still the same! War in our blood; some things never change."_

 _-Lost,_ Avenged Sevenfold

Chapter 17:: Somewhat of a Prophecy

Trickpaw stared across the ThunderPath unmovingly.

Hawkstripe of ThunderClan stared back at him.

The roar of an approaching monster reached Trickpaw's ears, and he backed off the path as his instincts kicked in. He didn't break eye contact with Hawkstripe until the monster tore into his line of sight.

When Trickpaw looked again, Hawkstripe was gone.

 _What the hell?_ Did he only imagine the tabby warrior?

He began to turn around, and came face-to-face with fiery, reddish-grey eyes.

Stumbling backwards, he yelped in surprise. "What the fuck?!"

When he dared to look again, he saw that he was not, in fact, imagining things. Hawkstripe of ThunderClan really was standing directly in front of him. "What? You're fucking dead!" Trickpaw shouted.

Hawkstripe bared his teeth and let out a harsh laughter. "Oh, I fucking wish."

Trickpaw took yet another step backwards, and Hawkstripe took yet another step forwards.

"Wh-what the hell do you want?!" What in hell was even going on? Was what he was seeing even real? Or just a trick of the Dark?

"Simple," Hawkstripe replied. His voice was somewhat hoarse. "I want you to take me to your father."

"Why? So you can kill him?"

"No, although I don't suspect you'd be too broken up about it if I did."

Trickpaw shrugged. He supposed that was rather true.

Hawkstripe smiled a little. Whether it was a smile of amusement or a smirk of malice, Trickpaw wasn't sure.

"Trust me, Trickpaw, Jaunestar will want to see me," he said.

"Well, I think he'll enjoy the chance to kil you... um, again."

This made Hawkstripe laugh in genuine, a low, psychotic sound. "He can try."

Trickpaw cocked his head to the side. Well, if nothing else, this would certainly be interesting.

"Come," he said, his golden eyes glittering. "I'll take you to my father."

Everyone in the camp looked up at once, sensing the odd presence. Hawkstripe made eye contact with each of them one at a time, seeming to savor the bewildering effect he had. The only cat that seemed unperturbed was Viperswipe, who only looked mildly curious. Trickpaw had always that thought that Viperswipe was a much better choice for a mentor compared to Scarletfire, but the grey tom had certain ideals that Jaunestar didn't agree with.

Deerstep, a skinny, skittish tom, scurried into Jaunestar's den as Trickpaw watched. This was where Trickpaw decided to slink away, before Jaunestar could see another reason to hate him.

Hawkstripe padded to the center of the camp with all of his old arrogance and more. There was a bit of a smirk in his face, and his eyes glinted an unsettling color.

The cats of ShadowClan stared with blank eyes. They remembered the words Jaunestar had said to them just two nights before:

 _"Hawkstripe of ThunderClan is dead. Mourn, if you must, but quickly and quietly. We have things to do."_

Jaunestar came out of his den first, the new scars that Dominique had given him making him a rather gruesome sight. Gruesome, but still brilliant. Calixte followed, his long claws digging into the ground. Deerstep scurried out behind them, quickly disappearing into the crowd as he tended to do.

"Hawkstripe." There was question in his voice. "I was told you were dead."

"I was," Hawkstripe replied, "quite dead."

"Oh." Jaunestar kind of grimaced. "Well, congratulations. And, you'll have to forgive me. I was planning on visiting your grave, but it seems I've lost my chance."

Hawkstripe dipped his head slightly. "Thank you...?"

Jaunestar laughed a little, and took a light step forward. Hawkstripe's eyes followed him as he started to slowly circle the warrior.

"So, you've escaped the worlds of the dead, crawled out of the dirt, and... you've come here, to the ShadowClan camp. For what purpose, exactly?"

"I have a deal to propose," said Hawkstripe, looking straight ahead instead of craning his neck to look behind him at the ShadowClan leader.

"A deal?" Jaunestar sounded intrigued.

Hawkstripe nodded. "I can help you kill Dominique."

Jaunestar laughed out loud. "Yes, I can see how that would be in your interest. But why would you think it's in mine?"

Hawkstripe shrugged. "Well, it is, isn't it?"

Jaunestar also shrugged. "I dunno. Could be."

Hawkstripe rolled his eyes, which would have been a death sentence for him if Jaunestar had seen. "So, are you willing or not?"

"Well, what do you want in return for helping to kill Dominique?"

Hawkstripe couldn't help the grin that twitched onto his face. "Well, that's the fun part, my friend."

 _(POV: Weststar)_

Weststar gazed into the flowing waters of his river and grimaced.

What the hell had Red Ash done this time?

It's like they never learn. For years he's been watching the reflection in the water, looking into the lives of the clan cats below him. After all this time, you'd think they would have learned to keep their fucking claws sheathed. It's like the instinct to kill was hardwired into their blood. Some things never change...

Weststar had heard today that Fallowstar was returning to WindClan with a band of rougues. It seemed that Dominique had started a movement.

"Weststar?" A tentative voice from his left.

"Hm?" He turned slightly and saw a young, dark grey she-cat padding apprehensively to him.

"I have something to tell you; a message from an old friend," the she-cat said.

"And who's that?"

The she-cat smiled. There was something different about her than from the other cats around here. Weststar thought he recognized what, but by god, he couldn't name it.

"You'll find out soon enough," she said. "He's giving you a friendly warning. You better get your cats under control, gets your battle formations ready, because a brand new hell is ascending." Her words broke off into a low laughter. "And you aren't going to like it."

Now Weststar realized what she was. There was ash in her eyes and the dust of a thousand years in her fur. Her mission completed, she turned around and started to run off into the trees.

"Wait!" Weststar called, and she stopped, looking behind her unexpectedly. "You... You're a Dark Forest cat."

The she-cat smiled and shrugged. "All I did was kill one little kit, and they sentenced me to eternal suffering. Absolutely disgraceful, don't you think?"

Weststar was at a loss for words, and the she-cat grinned as she bounded away.

He gazed back into the river, resigned to its entrancing flow. He saw fire in the rapids, fire and blood. And the smoky ash was suffocating.

And suddenly, he understood.

 _(POV: Fallpaw)_

Fallpaw hurried into Jaunestar's den. Calixte's gaze burned into his fur before he entered the darkness.

In the den, Mintwillow and Jaunestar sat with a tabby cat who had his back to Fallpaw. Fallpaw had left the camp with Cedarweb and Stilled Water, and when they'd came back, there was a hush over the clan. And then Calixte called Fallpaw over.

"Fallpaw," Jaunestar said.

The tabby cat turned his head and Fallpaw couldn't help but stare.

"I'm sure you recognize Hawkstripe."

Fallpaw nodded, his eyes not straying from Hawkstripe's face. He could tell that the tom was amused by him, but he couldn't help but stare. Rockpaw had said that Hawkstripe was dead. Was he lying? Had Kinkstar been correct in thinking that Rockpaw was a spy, sent by his father?

No, that wasn't possible. There was some kind of misunderstanding here, Fallpaw knew. He just had to be tactful about figuring this out. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Rockpaw said you were dead," he blurted, then sighed at himself. Yes, very tactful.

The slightly amused look on Hawkstripe's face turned into a genuine smile. A scary smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Yeah, well, a slit throat tends to do that to you," the warrior said.

Fallpaw's eyes widened.

"Fallpaw," Jaunestar said, and Fallpaw's gaze snapped to him.

"Sir?"

"Hawkstripe is here to help us defeat Dominique, not to chat with. Understand?" Fallpaw nodded. "Good. But first, we need to get Rockpaw back from RiverClan, and you're going to help us do that. You know how?"

"You're going to get me back to RiverClan in return for Rockpaw?" Fallpaw asked hopefully.

Jaunestar laughed. "Uh, no. But you will be going back to the RiverClan camp with Wolfclaw, Justess and Calixte. You will retrieve Rockpaw and choose one other apprentice to take with you. The only reason that you're going is to help convince RiverClan that this is the right course of action. They'll be too tired for a fight even if they disagree. Does that sound good to you?"

Fallpaw nodded. Go to RiverClan and with the help of the warriors there, kill three of ShadowClan's best warriors. Easy enough.

"Good. You'll leave in the morning." The leader eyed the badly dressed scratches on the apprentice's flank. "Before you leave, go to Cedarweb and tell her I said for your wounds to be properly tended to."

Fallpaw nodded and left, recognizing the flick of his tail as a dismissal.

He wondered what was more probable: that Rockpaw was a liar, or Hawkstripe had come back from the dead. He looked to the sky, although it was midday and there wasn't a star in sight.

 _Please, StarClan, can you do me this one favor, and tell me what the fuck is going on?_

 _(POV: Poisontongue)_

The shivering apprentice under the roots of the broken tree tugged at Poisontongue's conscience. Until then, he wasn't even aware he had one left. He thought it'd gone with his ability to love. Of course, lovemaking was quite different from actual love, and his frequency of it was something he prided himself on. His brother, Bloodeye, was both jealous and disapproving of Poisontongue on that matter. Good old, slightly-less-than-traditional Bloodeye.

But of course, the odd-eyed tom had no pity for the forgein, broken half-warrior. To Bloodeye, Sphinxface's word was law, the leader was every bit of a god as he said he was. Poisontongue respected Sphinxface, of course, but by no means did he revere him. He didn't revere anything, to be honest. The only thing that mattered to him was in front of his eyes. He had little time for anything else.

Today he'd had an excess amount of time for hunting. He'd been fortunate to have found three squirrels and a single mouse in the snow, skinny as they may be, they'd be a blessing from StarClan if StarClan existed.

As he passed the apprentice's tree, guarded by Prideclaw at the moment, he caught a whiff of the his sickness over the fresh-kill scent. Coming into the camp, he'd had every intention of passing it by and ordering an apprentice to take a couple mice to the queens like always, but catching sight of the bony pile of fur, he stopped.

Prideclaw looked at him expectantly, ginger fur as fluffed as the snow.

Poisontongue dropped his prey and leaned over to Prideclaw. "Sphixface's orders were to not let him eat for how many days?"

"Six," Prideclaw responded.

Poisontongue winced. "And he's supposed to survive that in the state he's in?"

"If the angels are willing," said Prideclaw, with all the emotion of the sociopathic warrior he was while on-duty.

Poisontongue sighed and looked around the camp. It was almost completely empty, just Thrallclaw, Vilesoul, and their kit by the nursery. Jestpaw, Winterpaw, and Wishpaw were mock-fighting, and Sinclaw was sitting outside of the medicine den with his eyes closed. Nobody was paying attention to them.

"Prideclaw, you know that's not right." Poisontongue was all but whispering now, his face inches from the warrior's ear. Prideclaw sat stoic, not even acknowledging his clanmate.

"It's Sphinxface's order. Don't matter if it's right or wrong."

"C'mon, Prideclaw..." Poisontongue sighed. He just needed him to "look the other way" while he slipped Rockpaw some food.

"No, Poisontongue. Now, get, before someone decides to see you and wonder what you're saying." Prideclaw flicked his left ear and jerked his head to the side a few times.

Poisontongue sighed. "Okay, what will it take for you to look the other way?"

This caught Poisontongue's attention. "What do you mean?"

Poisontongue flicked his tail in annoyance and nervousness. "What do you want me to do?"

Prideclaw flicked his head to the side to hide the smug look on his face. "Well, now that you ask, I suppose there is something."

"Yes, what is it?" His claws twitched in agitation.

"Let me have Shadowflame tonight."

"Shadowflame? But she and I had an agreement for tonight..." Poisontongue almost reconsidered his entire position on the situation, but the foreign apprentice made a small whimpering noise that tugged at his (admittedly lifeless) heart, and just maybe reminded him of something...

" _Fine_ ," he sighed. "Just give the kid some food."

It wasn't like he couldn't get another she-cat to spend the night with, but there was something about Shadowflame that made the others seem almost undesirable, "almost" being the key word. Poisontongue was always in the know about who wanted company, and he so immediately began seeking them out.

After discreetly kicking that piece of fresh-kill to the half-warrior underneath the bush, that is.

 _(POV: Weststar)_

There wasn't much that a dead cat could do to change destiny, but Weststar was determined to do _something_.

When he heard the RiverClan cat praying to StarClan, it only caught his attention because it sounded so far from home.

 _StarClan, could you please do me this one favor, and tell me what the fuck is going on? I don't know what to do. I have no friends in this place, and Jaunestar'd trade my life in one instant if it could benefit him even slightly. I need to get back home, to Stingpaw, to Rockpaw, to Mousewhisker, but I need to stay there. You've never spoken to me before, not even at the MoonStone, but with Dominique here, and dead cats coming back to fucking life, I guess... I just need... A Prophecy. Please._

Weststar froze. This must be Fallpaw, the captured apprentice. Nobody ever knew why he wasn't able to enter StarClan in his MoonSleep, and that was pretty much everything Weststar knew about him.

But something about this lost, scared kit in enemy territory broke his heart. It reminded him of his own son. After he'd died, Stingpaw was left alone. So, even though he didn't know what the fuck was going on any more than Fallpaw did, he reached out. And if what he said didn't make any kind of sense whatsoever, how could he be blamed?

 _Those who starve in the ashes have only themselves to blame for burning their forests down. Beware the Darkness that has taken them over, and maybe one day the light will shine once more._


	22. Chapter 18:: A Soul That Once Lived

Dominique lifted the thin bird bone in one claw, delicately taking it from its skeleton.

"You know what's interesting, Salerino?" He looked at his second-in-command, who was standing by the den's entrance.

"Hm?" Salerino answered, looking expectant in the polite kind of way.

"How two cats who are so similar can have such different tendencies."

Salerino looked kind of lost, so Dominique elaborated. He gestured to the bird's skeleton. "When you look at this, what do you see?"

Salerino thought for a second then shrugged. "The skeleton of a dead bird," he answered just to humor his leader.

The white tom nodded. "A perfectly reasonable thought. But what I see? It's more than just a dead, rotted morsel."

"How so?" Salerino cocked his head and shifted his paws, because Dominique had that gleam in his eyes again, when he thought he knew something that the others didn't. In perfect truth, sometimes Salerino just thought he was just a fanatic.

"I see an old age gone by. The meat that I have picked from these bones is the weak and honorable souls that will slow us down. It's time for a new ThunderClan; an anarchy that I, of course, will rule over. And these bones..." he swatted the skeleton, and it scattered. "They will turn to dust, over time."

Salerino let a moment of silence pass before he said, jokingly, "Still, uh... Just bird bones, right?"

Dominique met his eyes and smiled. "If you believe so."

 _"Chaos isn't a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail, and can never try again. The fall breaks them. Some are given the chance to climb, but they refuse. They cling to the realm, or the Gods, or love. Illusions. Only the ladder is real. And the climb is all there is."_

 _-Petyr Baelish, Game of Thrones_

Chapter 18:: A Soul That Once Lived

Hawkstripe travelled next to Fallpaw, Justess, Wolfclaw, and Calixte as the four headed to RiverClan. His somber presence silenced the normally talkative Wolfclaw and Justess-Fallpaw had noticed their constant companionable bantering-but for some reason made Fallpaw feel a little safer, surrounded by enemies as he was.

However, he stopped walking just before they reached the Fourtrees. Fallpaw guessed it was because he didn't want the whole forest to know yet that he was alive, but he wanted to make sure that Rockpaw got back safe as soon as he could. Well, no one was ever safe in this forest, but Fallpaw imagined Hawkstripe would be feel a lot better being able to protect his apprentice himself.

He looked back and met the warrior's eyes. Hawkstripe nodded once to him, his reddish eyes dark with a seriousness that never had been associated with the warrior. Fallpaw remembered the conversation they'd had earlier.

 _"What do you plan on doing once you get to RiverClan, Fallpaw?" Hawkstripe asked._

 _"Just doing what Jaunestar says," Fallpaw answered, not looking at the warrior. He was in Cedarweb's den, trying to organize some herbs and memorize which ones she was low on._

 _"Really?" The warrior seemed skeptical. "Or are you going to have RiverClan capture or kill three of Shadowclan's best warriors?"_

 _Fallpaw halted in his work and looked at the warrior. For whatever reason, he trusted Hawkstripe more than he trusted the ShadowClan cats, but he wasn't going to tell him what his intentions were. He wanted the same thing Jaunestar did: the death of Dominique. Right now anything Fallpaw did to compromise Jaunestar was a threat to Hawkstripe._

 _"No, I plan on getting Rockpaw and Stingpaw out of RiverClan, before ThunderClan attacks them again."_

Now, Fallpaw felt guilty for lying. Looking back at the path ahead of him, he wondered what was more important: getting back home just to spite the leader of ShadowClan, or returning a son to his father?

 _(POV: Lukas)_

Aetherstripe and Lukas were sent by Sharptooth to intercept the group of cats coming from the direction of the Fourtrees. The two hadn't seen the cats themselves, but Hailshadow and Iceheart had. They were in no condition to confront them, even one as persistent and self-centered as Hailshadow knew that, so Aetherstripe and Lukas were again chosen to do the work.

Lukas quietly hoped that Stingpaw, Fallpaw, and Rockpaw were among the group. Mousewhisker had for once showed showed some kind of concern for the Clan, getting up off his ass to hep out around the Clan. If ThunderClan had Rockpaw, then that would be disastrous. Lukas only trusted the Clan he knew and lived in to keep that apprentice safe and out of trouble. And Stingpaw? Lukas was quite fond of the sardonic bastard. He was alike Weststar in that way, though quite different in others.

Aetherstripe had been quiet all day. He and Lunarstreak had always been quite close, even after she and Duskflame had become mates, started a life, had kits. Lukas and Aetherstripe were alike in that they had never showed much interest in that kind of life. Lunarstreak was in the worst condition after the battle; Mousewhisker had just barely saved her life. Duskflame hadn't left her side in the medicine den, his warning gaze always chasing Aetherstripe off when he tried to visit. The tom had a jealous soul, and had always been weary of the bond between his mate and Aetherstripe. Lukas thought that that was ridiculous, but then again, their drama really was none of his business.

Through the reeds, Lukas caught that terrible, distinct scent of ShadowClan, and his hopes of the apprentices being returned vanished.

What the fuck did they want now? His pained muscles tensed at the prospect of another battle.

It started to snow, and Lukas wished they'd just meet the group already. He was cold, he was limping again, Aetherstripe's pawprints were infused with blood, and nervousness made them shudder.

It wasn't long before they heard voices.

"I hope you're not planning on betraying us, you little bastard." Ah, the unmistakable whine of Wolfclaw. This was probably either a trick or a raid.

"I wish you'd stop asking me that." Lukas could almost hear the eyeroll in Fallpaw's voice.

Wait, fucking Fallpaw? Lukas and Aetherstripe shared a glance of surprise and concern. If ShadowClan had Fallpaw, did they have Stingpaw and Rockpaw as well? Now that Lukas thought about it, it made sense. Trickpaw's job that night was to steal Blossomkit, while the warriors captured half-helpless apprentices.

Aetherstripe moved to take a step in the direction of the cats, but Lukas stopped him with a look. They would wait and listen, to try and find out what they could.

"I _told_ Jaunestar to kill him," said a young, female voice that Lukas didn't recognize. Probably that new one, Justess, that Jaunestar had taken under wing.

"Cedarclaw could never heal the entire clan herself. This one's a far better medicine cat than her, anyway," Wolfclaw said back.

"Will you shut up?" An angry voice, a low growl that Lukas couldn't place. He'd known a lot of cats in the Clans even before he joined them, but a few select ones he'd taken care to stay away from. The only one in ShadowClan that fit into this category was the legendary Calixte. Although he was both a legend and a nightmare to apprentices and warriors alike, and a lot of cats would die for a bit of attention from him, Lukas had always wanted to stay as far away as he could. There was something about him, that intimidated him in a way no one else did. There was this Light in his eyes that Lukas would rather live without.

"Jesus, Calixte, fuck off already," said Wolfclaw, and Lukas nearly snorted. If there was one cat who would talk to one of the most feared cats in the forest with such carelessness, it was Wolfclaw of ShadowClan. "You've been complaining all the way over here."

"If you three would stop talking, then so would I. Let's just get Rockpaw for that bastard so we can kill him."

They thought that RiverClan had Rockpaw, then. ShadowClan didn't have him, but what about Stingpaw?

"Hold on, I smell RiverClan." They stopped and so did the two RiverClan warriors.

After a moment of suspicious silence, Lukas stepped forward as Aetherstripe watched.

Just behind a cluster of dry, leafless bushes, the four cats Lukas had heard stood expectantly. Wolfclaw with many scratches on his shoulder and a torn ear, a small red cat that must be Justess, Fallpaw (seeing his injuries angered Lukas greatly), and finally, Calixte. His off-white fur was occasionally broken by raw scabs, but was still brilliant in the sun.

"Lukas," greeted Wolfclaw after a second. "Well, you've seen better days."

Wolfclaw could always be counted on to be delicate in a conversation.

"Wolfclaw. I could say the same to you." Aetherstripe came from behind Lukas.

The grey warrior dipped his head to him, though it didn't seem very respectful. "Aetherstripe, nice to see you again." There was a grin in his eyes.

Ah, yes, Wolfclaw was the one who forced Aetherstripe's withdrawl in the battle. Of course he would never let the RiverClan warrior forget it.

"And you too," said he. He turned his gaze, beckoning to Fallpaw. "Are you here to bring our apprentice back?"

"No." Calixte spoke this time, and all gazes were immediately drawn to him. "We've come to take a few more."

Lukas would have had a hard time figuring out if he was joking or not if he hadn't heard their conversation.

"Oh really?" he said. "Which ones?"

Fallpaw answered. "We need Rockpaw and Stingpaw. ShadowClan needs all the power it can get."

Aetherstripe almost said something, but Lukas cut him off. He needed to know what was going on. Who was the 'bastard,' as Calixte had called them, who wanted Rockpaw? "Is it 'we' already, Fallpaw? RiverClan is still your home, is it not?"

"Of course it is," Fallpaw said, even though there was hesitance in his gaze. "I'm trying to save our clan as well as an innocent kit. Jaunestar has Blossomkit, Flamekit from ThunderClan, and he has me. If you don't do as Calixte says, then.. Then, you know." His voice was shaking. There was something he wasn't saying.

"We don't have Rockpaw or Stingpaw," Aetherstripe cut in. "We've assumed that ThunderClan has them, and you, Fallpaw."

 _Dammmit, Aetherstripe._ Lukas had wanted to lead them on a little more, learn a little something he wouldn't otherwise.

Calixte narrowed his eyes. "Show us."

Lukas looked at Aetherstripe as Aetherstripe didn't break his gaze away from Calixte's.

"Sure," said the tabby warrior. "Follow us."

 _(POV: Fallpaw)_

Fallpaw stared at the ground in front of him as Lukas entered the makeshift camp. The brown-and-white apprentice was surrounded by Wolfclaw, Justess, and Calixte to prevent an easy escape. Lukas had gone into the camp to get Kinkstar, to keep this as quiet as possible while Aetherstripe kept watch over the group. Their peace was rocky and pretentious, but for now it held.

Lukas came through the entrance. Fallpaw expected it would be Kinkstar to follow him, but instead it was Sharptooth. "What are you doing here?"

"As I said, they'd like to speak to Kinkstar," said Lukas. He'd always been impatient with Sharptooth.

"Well, too bad. They're speaking to me." Sharptooth swished his tail. The feeling of impatience was always mutual.

Then Kinkstar came forward, passing his deputy. He looked as tired as he ever did, his tail limp and his eyes shadowed.

"What the hell?" he asked to the ShadowClan cats like they were four kits who had gotten into trouble.

Calixte beat Wolfclaw to answering. "Jaunestar has some demands for RiverClan."

"Such as _what_?" Kinkstar hissed. His tail trashed. He was so _fucking_ done with ShadowClan. Fuck ShadowClan. Fuck ThunderClan, too. This was all Spiderstar's fault for not being able to pick a good fucking deputy. Kinkstar would have rathered even fucking Shatteredgaze over Ciderstar. Well, before he left and became even more psychotic.

"Such as the ThunderClan apprentice Rockpaw, and your own apprentice, Stingpaw, in ShadowClan."

" _Why_?"

"That's Jaunestar's business. You're only business is what we're going to do to Fallpaw here, and Blossomkit if you refuse."

Kinkstar's face twisted into a snarl, and his claws unsheathed. But there was no power in his muscles, only fatigue.

Kinkstar looked behind him, in the direction of his Clan. He seemed to realize he really didn't have the upper hand in this situation. Even if he managed to capture the three warriors, anything he did to them Jaunestar would do to Blossomkit. And he had a feeling the ShadowClan leader didn't place as much value in his warriors as Kinkstar did in his kits.

"We don't have Stingpaw or Rockpaw," he sighed, defeated.

"Yes, that's what Aetherstripe told us," Calixte said. "But I think you're lying."

"Then feel free to look around!" the RiverClan leader exclaimed. "I don't know what you think you'll find, other than blood and broken cats."

Calixte narrowed his eyes. Fallpaw's heart was beating too fast. When was the best time to run? Although, he hadn't even decided if he was going to run or not. Again plagued by the question: what was more important? Escaping to RiverClan only to soothe his pride, or returning an apprentice to the only one who'd ever cared for him?

How could he return Rockpaw to Hawkstripe if they didn't even know where he was? And what about Stingpaw? What would they do to Fallpaw if they couldn't find them?

Yes, his heart was beating too fast.

He was going to die. What would Jaunestar do to him? What would Hawkstripe do was the better question. Fallpaw had always gotten the insanity vibe from him before, but now he was likely to be even worse. Fallpaw would think he'd be skeptical if someone had claimed to have died and come back to life, but something about him now made any doubts vanish.

Oh, StarClan, he was going to die.

"Fine. We'll return to ShadowClan, and let Jaunestar decide what to do next."

He was going to die.

Then why wasn't he _running_?

He looked back as he left, and met the eyes of Kinkstar. There was a warning in his eyes that Fallpaw understood perfectly.

It wasn't going to be that simple.

Jaunestar never made anything simple.

 _(POV: A Soul That Once Lived)_

Stingpaw limped to the corner of the camp after being scratched, beaten, and battered by Dominique's cats. No one payed any attention to him now. Escape would be easy if half of his blood wasn't pooled in the snow. He thought he'd known pain, suffering. He'd looked down on his father for always complaining, always blaming his time captured by heathens and tortured for being "scarred" and distant. But now Stingpaw understood. After just a few days (has it been more?), Stingpaw knew what real pain was. He was cold, he was alone; his mind was even more broken than his body. He couldn't even find himself within all the internal screaming and death wishes.

 _ **You can't even find yourself.**_

Where in the camp he stumbled to, he didn't know. He fell into comforting Darkness, and pretended he couldn't hear Its whispers.

 _I'm going fucking insane_ , a fading thought. A distant thought-the rational part of Stingpaw that was slowly weakening. Unconsciousness started to take root within him, and, oh, he relished the feeling of numbness. But then it was interrupted.

"Oh, you're not planning on sleeping, are you? Stingpaw? _Stingpaw_...?" The kit held out the word much longer than was necessary, much longer than should be possible, so long that Stingpaw's ears began to ring (even more), and he was forced to answer.

He picked his head up and looked the kit in the eyes. It would always be creepy, it would always unnerve him how the world had made such a small and innocent thing into such a demonic thing. The sight of its face was equivalent to that of an old corpse. Skin hung off the bone, elastic and starved. The eyes were sunken and hollow, gleaming menacingly with the moonlight.

"Hm?" Stingpaw grunted questioningly, unable finding the energy to speak in real words.

"We're ready to play again, Stingpaw! We were _so_ impatient, waiting for Waleri and Salerino and Dominique to finish their game. I think that ours are _so_ much better, don't you?"

Stingpaw's body was shaking and he was holding back tears. He nodded because he was required to; his job was to entertain them and play their games, however sick or gruesome they may become.

"Awesome!" the kit exclaimed. "You and my brothers will be the Forest Invaders, and the rest of us will be the noble leaders who defend them!"

Stingpaw could have told him that noble warrios don't do the things to their oppenents that they have done to him, but he didn't. He just nodded mutely.

"Good!" He scampered towards the nursery. "Guys! Stingpaw says he's ready to play!"

Three kits of ThunderClan raced out of the nursery smelling like death. Stingpaw dreaded to know what was in there, but he had his guesses (such as the small tom that used to be the fifth kit who'd never been interested in violent games and had lingered by the edge of camp, until he went in the nursery once and Stingpaw never saw him again). He cringed inside; StarClan, he hated this.

He fucking hated StarClan itself. If his father really was up there, in the stars, watching him, then where the hell was he?

 _Weststar, where the hell are you?!_

 _ **You cannot control the screaming in your mind...**_

A kit died that night, by whose claws it was unknown. But some anger comes too fast and too unbridled to be restrained.

 _(POV: Saohei)_

 _The mountains glowed such a rich golden in the sunset. It was Saohei's favorite time of any period of twenty-four hours, and it was his favorite time to kill. The blood was crimson against the stone, and he loved it. He tore skin from bone and he watched the bloodfall, and he wondered how anyone could ever live without this feeling. This wonderful intoxication of power, knowing that you are the best in the world. Unstoppable, indestructible._

 _Why would he ever give this up? His daughter was an idiot. She deserved to die. His son and his niece, they were the strong ones. They were the ones who would learn how to kill._

 _And once they did, once they learned to be like Saohei, they would never stop. Just like Saohei..._

 _(POV: Reid)_

A warrior that Reid recognized as Shiverleaf, the tom he'd injured, shook him awake roughly with a sneer. There was a longhaired silver cat behind him, a tom with a peculiarly satisfied look on his face. Once Reid was awake, they didn't allow him to speak, only lead him out of the medicine den with Sorrelspot following.

As soon as his fur touched sunlight, the white tom thought about escaping, running away to be gone from this place. He'd go back to Dominique, receive his praise for surviving so long, be rewarded with a good, fat squirrel if he was lucky. Dominique had always liked him more than Salerino and Waleri had.

But not without Whitepaw. Returning without the Tyrant's daughter, he might as well dig a grave, lie down in it, and call out "when you're ready!"

So, he'd deal with these inferior, principled little bitches for a few days more, until the time was right to take Whitepaw, and _run_. It had to be soon though, before the warriors had fully recovered from their ludicrous battle. That'd be the time. He'd prove himself to Dominique. Then they'd see, he was more than just an empty brain. _He was a god_ , just like them.

Lightly, he stepped; an old habit that derived from a life on the run. Never know when you might need to flee.

"Why are we leaving?" Reid asked, but got no answer. He couldn't figure out where they'd be taking him, waking him up when the sun was setting and bringing him into the outside snow.

After a moment, it dawned on him. Where would they be taking him, after roughly shaking him awake and pulling him to his paws, but to die?

 _(POV: Tigerstar)_

They brought Reid out into the middle of the camp. He looked a mix of confused and scared, as he should. Cats around the camp whispered to each other worriedly; they hadn't been informed about Tigerstar's thoughts. Whitepaw stood by, shifting her paws. She looked up at Digger as he passed, but he didn't acknowledge her.

Reid's wounds were healing well, as Sorrelspot had reported, but the tom was still weak. He was as vulnerable as he had been when Tigerstar had first met him, and decided to spare his life. It was true that he was debating reconsidering that decision, and that he might do so still, but for now WindClan needed every set of teeth and claws it came across. There was a fucking war going on.

Wind blew a part in Tigerstar's fur, and the sky was clear of clouds for once. Dusty orange light filled the empty space. It shone in the leader's fur and in his eyes, and indeed the image looked drastic enough to be the scene of an execution.

When he looked down from the sky and saw Shiverleaf and Thistletooth roughly leading Reid to the front of the Highrock, he caught his deputy's eyes. Thistletooth had never had too much of a bloodlust exactly, just a need for justice where justice was due. Tigerstar could understand that; it was why Fallowstar had chosen him to be his deputy. Fallowstar liked to think that he was a rational, justful cat, but Tigerstar had seen him when he got angry, when he felt he'd been wronged. Bloodbaths in the WindClan camp, the ThunderClan camp, ShadowClan, RiverClan-He hadn't cared. Everybody was a culprit, guilty until proven innocent. Everyone was a conspirator in some intricate, invisible plan. The only cat he trusted was Tigerstar, and even that trust only went so far.

In the end, it was Tigerstar that convinced him to leave. Not by saying such words, of course. It was always best when around Fallowstar to tiptoe with your words. One vowel in the wrong place could mean your death.

Seeing the cats before him, he knew he wasn't the only one who was remembering the unstable life of living under Fallowstar's rule. He also knew he wasn't the only one who was grateful he was never coming back.

The cat's whispering had turned into a somewhat loud chatter. Tigerstar found Sorrelspot in the crowd, and met his eyes. They were always shadowed with a wariness Tigerstar never understood, but this time he recognized the plea. No cat wants to return to the old ways. Cats don't fear Tigerstar like they feared Fallowstar. Start to rule like he did, and they would rebel; they would kill him. He gave Sorrelspot a defiant look, then addressed the whole clan.

"WindClan!" he shouted. They quickly hushed. Thistletooth looked particularly expectant. If the leader ordered a killing, then it would be the deputy's duty to carry it out.

Tigerstar took a breath, and he made a decision. "I didn't call you all here for an execution today." There was no change in atmosphere ensuing that statement. Fallowstar had also hesitated to use the word "execution."

"WindClan is at war with ThunderClan and any of their allies. I have debated long on what I should do with our prisoner, Reid, and now I have come to a decision. I am going to name Reid a warrior of WindClan."

There was a general shock among the clan, although some of the cats had been expecting this. Reid didn't look relieved, but a little pissed. Tigerstar turned his eyes towards Sorrelspot. The cream-and-white tom's expression had turned to one of dread to one of disapproval and disbelief. Tigerstar shrugged at him and he rolled his eyes.

"So, Reid," the leader continued, "do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Reid scoffed. "Maybe not at the cost of my life."

Tigerstar's whiskers twitched in annoyance. Although he could understand that this was shocking to him-after all, he'd only been here for a small number of days, and probably had walked out of the medicine den expecting to die-the sarcasm was not appreciated.

He continued with a sigh. "Then by the power vested in me by StarClan, I now name you a warrior of WindClan. StarClan honors your... sardonism and ability to almost kill three of my warriors, and I welcome you as a full member of WindClan."

 _(POV: Nigel)_

Nigel walked through the camp tunnel of WindClan, Sergei directly behind him and Whisper wherever the fuck she was. Nigel didn't give a damn about her, the jumpy _bitch_. There was no fucking such thing as love. He didn't love her. He _couldn't care less_.

And so he walked into WindClan with an _empty_ heart and his head held high, and his presence created a change in atmosphere, and heads turned to look, and Tigerstar looked oh so surprised, and Nigel just knew that he wasn't imagining the scent of blood.

"Tigerscratch," he called into the silence, "it's been a while." His lips curled into a sharp-toothed smile as the sun disappeared and the camp was shrouded in Darkness.

 _Beware the Darkness..._

* * *

 **Hey guys, FuturisticVamp here (obviously). Life got in the way of finishing this chapter, so it took a couple of fucking months to complete, and I'm still not all the way happy with it for some reason, but my mind was turning up blank in terms of more ideas (Edit: As of 7/31/18, I have reread and edited this chapter to death and finally I love it).**

 **Anyways, important note here: I've realized that I cannot have an effective war with less than twenty warriors in each clan, so that will be worked on. I'm not going to open another OCs needed story, but if you want to PM me with some, then that'd be awesome, *wink.* Otherwise, I'll be making more cats if I decide that's a good idea (Again, as of 7/31/18, this still applies).**

 **This chapter is 4,248 words, about 2k more than my usual chapters, so overall it's been a good time. I hope to go back to my original update clock of about a week in between chapters. That'd be good.**

 **Don't forget to drop a review and let me know how it was!**

 **-TheFuturisticVampire**


	23. Chapter 19:: Possession

**This is an outrageously small chapter, so promises for a quick update and all that.**

 **Also, thanks everybody for the reviews! Believe it or not, this story still got some action even when going unupdated for a whopping two months. It surprises me, but it's a nice surprise so :') Thanks, guys.**

 **Well, enjoy:**

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 _"Contact with reality is something I no longer need. Now I have insanity on my side."_

 _-Personal Demons,_ Rufus Rex

Chapter 19:: Possession

 _I...I thought you were dead. Sealed away. Beyond reach. That's what they told me; did they lie?_  
 _Maybe I'm lying to myself again. Apparently I do that a lot._  
 _My name? Um, it's... What was it again? I don't know... What's yours?_  
 _Red Ash... That seems familiar. Where have I heard that before? Nevermind; it doesn't matter._  
 _Why are you here?_  
 _Weststar? No, doesn't sound familiar. Who's he?_

 **Liar!**

 _I...I mean, I don't have a father. I don't even have a name._  
 _What the fuck is a Stingpaw?_

 _Huh._

 _(POV: Rockpaw)_

Rockpaw winced as he was roughly pulled out of the hole by someone's sharp teeth. He looked up and was surprised when he recognized the cat who'd been slipping him morsels these past couple of days, Poisontongue. There was no kindness or pity in his eyes now, just a mean sense of mission.

On Rockpaw's other side, a black-flecked grey tom with green eyes that had before introduced himself as Spiderwish. He'd always had a positively apathetic expression as he looked at Rockpaw, or at the snow, or at anything. Rockpaw didn't like him very much, but he tended to hate cats who kept him captive inside of a frozen tree stump anyway.

He was lifted to his unsteady paws, and nearly fell. Poisontongue quickly gave him his shoulder to lean on, more out of necessity than sympathy. The warrior's fur wasn't as soft as it looked, and Rockpaw winced as his skin was stabbed by the his shoulder. Spiderwish led the way to Sphinxface's den.

The hollow in the dirt where the SkyClan leader lived was just as dark as it had been the first time Rockpaw visited. He wondered if Sphinxface ever left the damp darkness. He didn't look like he did. He probably lived in darkness, seething and brooding and plotting. His skin and bones would probably rot away all at once if ever he was to step into sunlight.

Sinclaw sat to Sphinxface's right, and a little behind him. His gaze pierced through the darkness and straight into Rockpaw's mind. Rockpaw was glad he had someone to lean on, because he stumbled as he met the medicine cat's eyes. Poisontongue caught him well enough and let him sit.

"So," said Sphinxface, "Rockpaw, are you ready to confess?"

Rockpaw took a breath. He'd been thinking for a long time about what he was going to say to the SkyClan leader once this time came, and even with his mind as muddled as it was, there was no way he was going to mess it up.

"You're fucking insane."

Sphinxface narrowed his eyes. No, he couldn't _always_ be crouched inside his den, mumbling about death and angles under his breath, as Rockpaw had imagined. He looked stronger than Rockpaw had remembered, far more terrifying. Perhaps he should have thought this over more.

"We're all insane, Rockpaw," Sphinxface said. There was something dangerous in his voice that Rockpaw was tempted to shrink away from. "It's just that I know how to make the best of it. I can see that you don't."

Rockpaw was silent, and he went on.

"I'm going to tell you something about me, Rockpaw." _Oh StarClan, please don't._ "There was once a time when I doubted who I was. Voices in my head whispered, and told what I was truly meant to be, but I didn't listen. Because I was denying my truth. My _destiny_. But once I was tired of fighting, I had no choice but to give in. Once I did, it was one of the best times of my life. I learned things I never would have any other way. I learned that I could become anything, so I became _everything_. So if you're meaning to insult me when you call me insane, know that the only one you're insulting is yourself, by exposing your ignorance." He grinned, showing his fangs, and was Rockpaw just hallucinating the gleam of red in his eyes? "So, my young friend, I'll ask you again. _Are you ready to confess_?"

Rockpaw looked at Sinclaw and then at Sphinxface. He realized, there was no escaping these cats. There was no denying them. There were only so many places of advantages in this situation, and Sphinxface of SkyClan was sitting in each and every one of them.

He took a breath. "Yes."

But not for long.


	24. Chapter 20:: And I'll Name Myself King

**So I may have left the last chapter on a bit of a confusing note/cliffhanger of some sort on Rockpaw's part, but his POV isn't in this chapter. I don't think I'll be focusing on him for a while.**

 **So, enjoy the newest addition:**

* * *

 _"Still I went on, unaware good intentions were false."_

 _-My Revenge,_ The Raven Age

Chapter 20:: And I'll Name Myself King

"Taking a first glance at darkness, it seems silent. Look closer to see that that is not the case. Give it a listening ear, and you can hear its whispers. Perhaps even its cries. You won't be able to make out any words, for it doesn't speak the same language as any of us, but its emotions are real. Its emotions _are real_.

"A soul full of sorrow would understand it much more than an innocent one who has never felt pain.

"But be mindful, for as you listen, you may become attached to it. You might form the habit of brooding in it for too long. It pays off to be understanding, you see, but to let it into your mind is by far the worst of ideas. Darkness is manipulative; you know this. Infectious. Damning.

"So be careful with it, child, but know that if you use it correctly, you'll be unstoppable."

He padded very lightly through the ThunderClan camp. There was no reason to, as Dominique couldn't very well see dead cats, but still he was cautious.

Stingpaw lay on the ground, his fur sticky with old blood. He'd been dead since sunset; Red Ash had watched it happen from the outer shadows. The kits had had their last game with him, Dominique had had his last laugh, and Stingpaw had crawled away to the outskirts of the camp to die. Did he even understand the concept of death anymore, Red Ash wondered. Was he too far gone?

He shook his head. It didn't matter. Returning his soul to his body should heal his body, and the mind is part of the body, after all. None of the scars that these lunatics had inflicted were deep enough to reach into his spirit. Not as far as Red Ash could tell, anyway.

He wasn't recognized as the master of supernatural arts for nothing. He could do this, but he couldn't do it alone. Weststar would've been an excellent choice for assistance, but that was out of the question. Red Ash knew he was watching everything on earth from that rock of his overlooking the river, and he knew he hadn't missed the death of his only kit.

So instead, Red Ash had shown up to the nest of Sky That Cries At Night, to ask for her help. She reluctantly agreed, thankfully without bringing Giri into it.

She appeared next to him now, risking a glance at the body of a golden-furred cat by the entrance. Its eyes were open slightly as dead eyes tend to be, and dried blood surrounded it.

"Shall we?" she asked in a rough voice and gestured to Stingpaw.

Red Ash dipped his head. "Of course."

 _(POV: Whisper)_

The golden, blazing light of sunset disappeared all at once as the sun sank below the hills. Whisper felt a shock go through the camp of WindClan, and the instant fear the sight of Nigel created. She wondered why that was the case. She wondered if she should be worried about it.

"Tigerscratch," he called. "It's been a while."

The cream-colored tom on top of the giant rock seemed to have some trouble getting out any words.

"F-Fallowstar?" he finally stammered.

"No." Nigel chuckled. "Not anymore."

" _Holy shit_." Whisper's eyes turned to the soft voice of a cream-and-white cat to the right of her.

Nigel's also did. "Sorrelspot!" He seemed pleased. "It's nice to see you again."

"I'm sure it is." Even though obviously bewildered and confused, his displeasure on seeing Nigel came out in a cool, sarcastic manner. "I couldn't say the same, though." Whisper twitched her whiskers in amusement and interest.

"Fallowstar." The cream-colored tom on the rock called attention to himself again.

" _Not anymore_ , Tigerscratch." Nigel sighed and returned his gaze to him. "I am no longer Fallowstar of WindClan. I've risen above that. My name is Nigel, and I have ascended to a place much greater than the rest of you."

"Oh, stars," Tigerscratch sighed in exasperation. "Just like Dominique, I assume."

Nigel flicked his tail in agitation. "No. Nothing like Dominique. He came for power. I came to teach. Come down here, Tigerscratch, my faithful deputy, come speak to me face-to-face." He started forward. Sergei followed him closely. Whisper stayed back, next to Eliza.

Tigerscratch's eyes flickered to a silver tom near the front of the group of cats, who had begun whispering among themselves, and the tom stepped in front of Nigel's path.

"My name is Tiger _star_ ," the tom on the rock said. " _I_ am the leader of WindClan now." His voice was strong but he seemed nervous.

Nigel met his eyes, and then the eyes of the silver tom. "Made Thistletooth deputy, did you?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Figures."

Tiger _star_ 's whiskers twitched.

Whisper wasn't sure what to think. Nigel had made it seem like the cats of WindClan would accept his rule with the same easiness as they had before. He'd spoken highly of Tigerscratch, his forever loyal deputy, and assured his three followers that he'd bow before him again with no hesitation. But it looked like that wasn't the case.

"Tigerscratch," he said. "Why don't we take this into my den?"

"You don't have one," Tigerscratch replied dryly.

" _Fine_. Why don't we take this into your den, while it's stil yours?"

Tigerstar blinked. "Fair enough." He jumped gracefully down from the rock and nodded to Thistletooth. The tom moved aside to let Nigel past.

"I hope you don't mind my deputy accompanying me?" Tigerstar asked.

"As long as you don't mind my most trusted follower attending us," Nigel answered.

Tigerstar nodded and flicked his tail to Thistletooth. Nigel glanced at Sergei, and they walked forward.

Whisper hoped this wouldn't end up in a fight. She's lived through enough fighting already.

 _(POV: Tigerstar)_

Being a leader requires being able to think fast and rationally when faced with even the most surprising of circumstances. Tigerstar liked to think he was a rational thinker. And when he wasn't, Sorrelspot had always been there to correct him. If only he listened to his most trusted friend more often. He was right to be angry about the leader's attack on ThunderClan. Sorrelspot was always able to see clearly what Tigerstar could only realize in hindsight.

"So, Tiger _star_ ," Nigel began to muse, "how's WindClan been?"

"We've been fine." The _without you_ wasn't said aloud, but it was heavily implied.

"What's the state of political affairs?"

Tigerstar shrugged. "War."

Nigel smirked to himself. "Sounds just like my kind of place."

Tigerstar took a breath and traded a glance with Thistletooth. "Perhaps it is," he said. "But this clan is _my_ clan, I swore allegiance and leadership to it, and I'm not going to let it go."

"So you're protecting a clan... from its own leader?" Nigel looked up at him-and he did have to look up, as he was a tom of slightly-below-average height and Tigerstar was above-bemusedly.

"You gave up your leadership when you announce your leave."

Nigel turned to look at his "most trusted," a black tom with pale blue eyes, with something like laughter in his eyes. The tom shared his glance before meeting Thistletooth's gaze.

"So be it." Nigel's voice was a harsh growl.

Needless to say, WindClan blood was shed that night.

 _(POV: Lukas)_

Try to bring an elegant touch into strategy, get shat on. Kinkstar asked for Lukas' heartfelt advice, and he'd given it. Perhaps this war could be better fought from the shadows. Maybe it would make sense to make an agreement with the stray cats that lurked just outside clan borders, always waiting for a chance to fight, a chance to prove to themselves their own worth before they died alone one day. Maybe a good strategy would be to get inside the minds of their enemies and take them out from the inside out, instead of just fighting tooth and claw.

But, he supposed, Clan warfare was different from the battles Lukas used to fight. If anyone, it would be Caesar that agreed with him. That cat was a strange one, as most southerners are, but he had a clever mind when it came to battle strategy. As odd as Lukas found Caesar, he knew that he could count on him in a fight.

Unfortunately for Lukas, Caesar hadn't been invited to this little counselling session, and his input was scoffed away by all but Aetherstripe, who also knew the delicacy with such a thing should be handled.

The plan that was largely accepted by the small council was, as Hailshadow had put with such finesse, "Smash 'em 'till they're dead."

Lukas supposed he could do that, too. He was too tired to argue for long, and eventually, Aetherstripe gave up as well. When the end came down to the end, they were loyal to their leader and would follow his orders. Nothing good ever came from one disobeying direct orders to do what they thought was right. If they went down, they would go down in unity. The worst that would happen was RiverClan was taken down a notch on the imaginary scale of power and respect. Lose a little territory, a few kits stolen, a bit of torture, but not even Dominique was crazy enough to obliterate an entire clan, was he?

Lukas scoffed at himself. He should know better than to think like a kit, a naive little thing with no sense of the evil of the world. Of course Dominique would try to destroy the entire clan, leaving no one behind to tell the tale. And Lukas found himself willing to do anything to stop that from happening. Even if it killed him, even if it upset the balance of the world, he didn't care as long as that kit who was crying this morning at the scent of blood in the air only got to smell fresh dew and mist until he grew old and passed away. He didn't imagine he'd be doing anything else with his life besides serving his clan, and if serving his clan was how he died, then so be it.

 _So be it._

 _(POV: Trickpaw)_

The russet prisoner under the bush was becoming more and more restless as the hours passed. Trickpaw kept his eye on him even when it wasn't his shift to guard. Rustclaw's eyes constantly went to Hawkstripe, as did most cats'. Hawkstripe himself didn't acknowledge any of them. There was always a warrior assigned to follow him around and make sure he didn't commit any debauchery.

Sunrise was shining in the snow when Jaunestar called for the clan to gather. Trickpaw looked up at his father and he would never admit it, but he was in awe. In many ways, Jaunestar seemed larger than life, and now with the cold wind in his fur, the sun shining in his eyes and bringing out the golden highlights in his fur, standing with an inimitable dignity despite his many wounds. As much as Trickpaw hated himself for it, he wanted to be like his father. He wanted to rule, and he wanted to do a good job of it, but he wanted to do it differently. He wanted to leave a different legacy than the carnage that Jaunestar left behind just for the fuck of it. But still a legacy.

Tigerstripe, who had been an apprentice until recently, came to sit next to Trickpaw. They hadn't spoken in quite a while, but they'd always been good friends.

"It's been a hell of a couple of days, hasn't it?" Tigerstripe said. He was one who had pretty much mastered small talk.

"Indeed it has," Trickpaw answered. He hadn't really ever gotten the hang of it. Thankfully, Jaunestar raised his tail for the clan's attention and he was saved.

"Before I say anything, I'd like to apologize." The leader's voice ran clear through the camp. "I've been so caught up in war and battles that I've neglected to do this for a while now." He coughed to clear his throat.

"Mudkit and Rushkit, step forward please."

Trickpaw sighed inaudibly. There was nothing that annoyed him more than having to sit through two kits' apprentice ceremony. They had no reason to be excited, the trembling fluffs of fur that they were. They would probably be ripped to shreds in some battle or another when they got older. It wouldn't even be desscribed as a glorious, defiant death by anybody. Their parents were two ordinary warriors, neither having anything terribly discriminant to notice. They had no ties. But Trickpaw did. They would glorify him in history not only as the son of Jaunestar, but as the son that rose above his father and ruled a clan that did so much better.

"Mudkit," Jaunestar began, "you are now six moons old, and it is time for you to be known as an apprentice. From this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Mudpaw. Tigerstripe-" all eyes turned to the young warrior next to Trickpaw- "I take it you're ready to mentor an apprentice?"

He nodded, shocked but honored.

"Good. Stonetail, dead as he may be, was an acceptable mentor to you, and I expect you to carry down the bravery and servitude he taught you.

"And, Wolfclaw-" the grey tom looked up- "It's time for you to mentor an apprentice as well. Rushkit, I name you Rushpaw until you receive your warrior name. Wolfclaw, you will be expected to pass down the ruthlessness and efficiency with which you eliminate your enemies."

Wolfclaw came forward and touched his nose to Rushpaw's.

"And now, one last thing," said Jaunestar. "There is an apprentice ready to become a warrior."

 _Must be Lakepaw,_ Trickpaw thought. _She is a full moon older than me and the others, after all, and didn't she have her assessment the other day?_

"Trickpaw, step forward."

 _Fuck._

He did as he was bid despite his shock. How did he expect to rule ShadowClan one day if his body quit functioning at every surprise he was faced with, after all?

He just hoped the quivering in his legs was imperceptible to the others.

"Muddyeye, do you believe that your apprentice is ready to become a warrior?" asked Jaunestar from on his rock.

"Uh, yeah." Muddyeye's voice from the middle of the crowd. Trickpaw lost the seriousness of the situation and smiled a bit in amusement. Muddyeye had never been one for etiquette or gracefulness in serious matters, and Trickpaw liked that about him even if the warrior could be annoying sometimes.

Jaunestar nodded and leapt down from the rock. "Well, then." He turned his eyes to his son. "I, Jaunestar, leader of StarClan, call on my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He's trained hard to understand the ways of your code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. So, Trickpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Trickpaw nodded nobly. "I do."

"Then I give you your warrior name. Trickpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Trickface. StarClan honors your stealth and your undying loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan."

He set his muzzle on his son's forehead, and Trickpaw licked his shoulder.

"Our work is far from over, my son..."

 _(POV: A Soul That Once Lived)_

 _Running. He was running and he never stopped running._

 _He ran away from the Darkness, knowing it was always pursuing and that he could never stop._

 _He ran fast, and he ran far, and he knew that just a little bit further and he would reach safety, he would find a bit of light._

 _Oh, it was coming. It was fast, was it faster than him? He knew not, but he couldn't give up, he wouldn't give in._

 _And the voices, the_ fucking _voices, they're not stopping. They whisper long, alluring phrases, and screech things in tongues unknown but they make the blood run cold._

 _He was alone, all alone._

 _He should've stayed where he was, where it was safe and warm and oh, he needed to stop. He couldn't run for much longer._

 _He couldn't run for much longer._


	25. Chapter 21:: If War Is What You Wish

**Hey guys, it's me with chapter twenty-fucking -one, and I am so fucking stoked.**

 **Also, I'm going to have to ask you to endure bad writing for a chapter or so, because I haven't written much besides a bunch of poems and essays for a couple of months. Anyways, the chapter, but first, thanks to our newly named CardassianTrekki for always having a positive review for me (*whispers* Nigel is actually a chill dude, but desperation leads to greed, which in turn leads to fucking insanity...not really, but whatever, it goes).**

 **And, uh, yeah, that's about it.**

* * *

 _"Listen, obey my command! Hear me, or die by my hand."_

 _-Poltava_ , Sabaton

Chapter 21:: If War Is What You Wish

The apprentice circled the small clearing opposite to Poisontongue, the black warrior. Both cats were on edge, waiting for the other to strike. Rockpaw saw the apprentice's eyes flicker, taking into account Poisontongue's stance, and every move the warrior could possibly make. Analyzing them, planning how to counter them.

Rockpaw admired the calculative intensity of the apprentice. It reminded him of the more than adequate fighters of ThunderClan, like Hawkstripe and Tigerwhisker. Poisontongue on the other paw, seemed to fight primarily by relying on his instincts. They were good instincts, Rockpaw could see.

Breaking the tension, the apprentice lashed out at Poisontongue, smacking his muzzle and forcing him to flinch backwards. If his claws had been unsheathed, the strike would have left a scar for sure.

It didn't take long for the warrior to retaliate, spinning gracefully and pushing the apprentice backwards with his paws at his flank. The apprentice nearly fell, but regained balance quickly.

They continued fighting as the apprentice who was sitting next to Rockpaw leaned over to whisper into his ear.

"Winterpaw's quite the fighter, huh?"

Rockpaw nodded. "Oh, is that his name?"

The apprentice-she was a completely white cat that would have reminded Rockpaw of Whitepaw if it weren't for her sad, brown eyes-answered, "Yes, but not for long. He's almost old enough to be made a warrior."

Rockpaw nodded. The she-cat's name was Wishpaw, she had introduced herself a few moments before. She was nice to Rockpaw for some reason. Probably just pitied him, a scrawny, starving half-warrior without a home.

"Is Poisontongue his mentor?" he asked.

"Yes, ever since Thrallclaw moved to the nursery. He's a much better mentor than she was, but that could just have been because of the pregnacy." She chuckled in good humor, and so did Rockpaw.

The mock fight ended when Poisontongue knocked Winterpaw to the ground and placed his paw on his apprentice's throat.

Rockpaw was impressed at the structure of this clan. Upon arrival, his first impression had been that they were nothing more than a group of savages, but as he became one of them, he saw that that assumption was false.

Winterpaw was allowed to stand. Rockpaw met his cold, blue eyes inquistively.

"Who was your mentor back in your clan?" He was distracted by Wishpaw's question.

He paused for a second but then answered. "His name was Hawkstripe. He was the best cat I ever knew."

"Was?"

"I witnessed his throat get slashed by my father." No point in keeping secrets, since half the Clan knew of this already.

Wishpaw was silent.

Rockpaw's whiskers twitched. Perhaps he'd been too blunt. "But that's okay. He taught me everything I need to know to survive in this world."

"Like... fighting?"

Rockpaw shook his head. "More than just fighting. He was the cleverest cat in the clan; he...he taught me a lot." He sniffed. It was cold.

Wishpaw nodded and Rockpaw made eye contact with her for the first time. Damn, she was pretty, he realized. Then he mentally laughed at himself. What a disgusting thing to think.

"Wishpaw," Poisontongue called.

"Yes?" She was at attention immediately.

"Come here, let me see what Ashenheart's taught you."

The small she-cat nodded and walked towards Poisontongue as Winterpaw walked away. The light grey-silver, actually-tom took Wishpaw's place next to Rockpaw.

"So you're a clan cat?" he asked with his eyes on the "battle" that was starting.

Rockpaw dipped his head in the affirmative.

"What was the name again?"

"ThunderClan."

Winterpaw nodded. "Yes, but your name?"

"Rockpaw. Yours?"

"Winterpaw. Nice to meet you."

"You as well."

The silver tom flicked his tail in acknowledgement.

Wishpaw didn't last nearly as long against Poisontongue as Winterpaw did. He gave a scornful scoff when the warrior held her down only after a few seconds.

"She hasn't been an apprentice for a while, I assume," Rockpaw commented.

Winterpaw shook his head. "Only for a moon. Her brother is even worse, believe it or not."

Rockpaw laughed softly as they both watched Poisontongue and Wishpaw start again.

"Are you three the only apprentices?" he suddenly wondered. He wanted to know what to expect when he joined the rest of the apprentices in their den as Sphinxface had ordered.

Winterpaw shook his head. "There are Jestpaw and Miragepaw, both insufferable individuals. Well," he shrugged, "I guess Jestpaw is the best out of all the apprentices, even considering his constant, horrible jokes."

Rockpaw gave another small laugh.

"You don't have to be nervous about meeting them; they're hardly worth anyone's time anyways." Winterpaw's cynical attitude was starting to become quite clear. "I'll introduce you to them myself."

Rockpaw dipped his head. "Thank you."

"Yeah, don't mention it," Winterpaw said quickly. "I'm the oldest apprentice in the den, I better damn well have a sense of hospitality."

Poisontongue pinned Wishpaw to the ground again and sighed. "You'll be no match for any warrior at this rate," Rockpaw heard him say.

The she-cat growled and smacked his paw off her. "Ashenheart says I'm doing just fine!"

The warrior shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder if Ashenheart even knows what she's doing."

Wishpaw looked like she was about to argue, but Winterpaw's voice stopped her.

"Wishpaw, why don't we show Rockpaw some more of the territory?"

She seemed lke she was going to protest, but stopped herself. "Yeah, sure."

"We'll start at the stream. If that's alright?" He turned an inquiring gaze toward Poisontongue, who nodded.

"Just be careful."

Winterpaw dipped his head and led the way through the bushes. Wishpaw followed and Rockpaw came after her. They didn't seem to be all that worried about him running away, though Rockpaw supposed he wouldn't be either. How far could a wounded, starved, frozen apprentice run, anyways?

He didn't have much of an intention to run anyways. He intended to turn this unlucky circumstance to his favor, and ultimately to Dominique's ruin.

But not immediately. First he had to heal, and gain trust with SkyClan. And then, war.

Bloody, heartless, violent war.

 _So be it._

 **..**

The sky was blue, the cold light of winter bearing down on the land. Rockpaw could smell the bitterness in the air and feel the frozen ground under his paws. He hated wintertime, his vision of snow always stained in red. He hated the cold. It seemed the bitterness found its way into the hearts of cats, turning them Dark and unpleasant. The winds of change were blowing in from the north, bringing with them misfortune and evil. Rockpaw was ready to change with them, whatever that meant for him. Whatever it made him become.

Hawkstripe, and the rest of ThunderClan, would be avenged.

 _(POV: Sinclaw)_

Sinclaw entered the den with light pawsteps. Such things are what he was known for, and the tradegies that stemmed from them were what he was named for.

"You sent for me?"

"Yes." Sphinxface turned to face his adviser. "I need to speak to you, come here."

Sinclaw obliged, taking a few steps forward. "What about?"

"About Rockpaw. How's he healing?"

"Quite well. Much better than the average cat, actually."

Sphinxface nodded. "He's an interesting kit."

"Nothing more than the usual foreigner. We should let him heal and send him on his way; he'll bring nothing but trouble for us."

The leader shook his head. "No, this one is different. He's clanborn. He can show us how to get inside the other clans."

Sinclaw tilted his head, listening.

Sphinxface continued. "He says they're all currently in a state of war. What better time to attack, and devastate them?"

"But what of our land here?"

"Sinclaw, we won't _need_ it! We'll have ShadowClan, WindClan, RiverClan, and ThunderClan land. That kit is the key to the them and I will not throw him away."

Sinclaw nodded. He did see his leader's point, but realized the absolute lack of wisdom in his plan.

"And how do you propose we take over and hold the land of four different clans with the force of one?"

Sphinxface twitched his whiskers and faced away from the medicine cat. "We'll just have to be smart about it. I wasn't named leader for nothing, you know. I am going to restore this Clan back to the strength and glory it once had."

But Sinclaw was still skeptical. "Others have tried in the past to bring the clans down. No one's ever held them for very long."

Sphinxface growled. " _I am not like the others_! I am _destined_ for this! They will repent, they _will_ give up their land, or I will burn it to the fucking ground!"

 _And how do you mean to do that?_ Sinclaw thought but didn't say. "Of course you will..."

Sphinxface sighed and seemed to calm himself. "I know you doubt me, my friend. I must sound mad when I speak. But I prove myself to all of you soon, and you will see."

Sinclaw dipped his head. "I have no doubts of your divinity, Sphinxface."

"Good. Then we will go to war."

"If you wish it."

Sphinxface nodded curtly and dismissed the medicine cat.

 _So be it..._

* * *

 **Thanks for suffering through this horribly written chapter. The next chapter should be longer and better, I'm actually going to put some decent effort into it.**

 **Also, don't be hesitant to review, rather it be advice or praise or just straight up fucking hate, it's always nice to know someone's read this :)**


	26. Chapter 22: The Confession of a Murderer

**Thanks to ASoBS and Cardassiantrekki for your guys' reviews! If I could get some more from... all the fans hiding in the shadows... that'd be.. awesome. Hahahaha...**

 **I plan to update the next chapter swiftly~**

* * *

 _"My blood is cold as ice, or so I have been told. Show no emotion, and it can destroy your soul."_

 _-Haunted,_ Disturbed

Chapter 22:: The Confession of a Murderer

Red Ash peered into the warriors' den and saw her sleeping alone. It was a very fitful sleep, which he supposed he could understand. First her lover, then her brother was taken away from her in such a short time. Maybe she would have an easier time resting if she'd known that Hawkstripe was still alive, but that didn't matter. She would know soon enough, once her soul was taken to StarClan.

Red Ash made a deal with the Darkness. A life for a life, that had been the agreement. And It was getting impatient.

He padded over to her nest, careful not to disturb any of the other warriors' fragile dreams. The mist of death too easily seeps into sleeping minds.

He bent down and whispered her name in her ear.

 _"Silverfawn..."_

He felt the disruption in her dreaming, and her eyes opened although they couldn't see.

"Who's there?" she whispered.

 _"It's alright, Silverfawn._

 _"Follow me."_

 _I'll lead your way into Hell._

 _(POV: Tigerstar)_

How could a force of four cats hold off an entire clan?!

Tigerstar had tried everything over the past two days, but they hid in the shadows, they came out at night, impossible to find during the day and _all the did was kill_. They were fierce, quite deadly indeed, and they unquestioningly did whatever Nigel bid.

However, Tigerstar's warriors were starting to question him more and more as the hours passed.

 _How can a leader be so incompetent as to not know how to defeat a measly group of rogues?_

 _How can this one cat bring so much destruction to WindClan? Is Tigerstar afraid of him?_

 _Both my mother and my mate died yesterday. How could Tigerstar let this happen?_

 _...Maybe this cat_ was _a better leader than him._

He pretended not to hear the younger cats' rumblings, those who weren't alive during Fallowstar's reign or were just too young to remember.

Even Thistletooth was starting to have doubts. Tigerstar could tell.

The only cat he could trust was Sorrelspot, and his apprentice.

Everyone else were traitors.

 _Treasonous._

 _(POV: Reid)_

Reid recognized Nigel's cats immediately, especially Sergei who he had before been interested to speak with. Dominique didn't stop to speak with them for long on his way to ThunderClan, but Reid hoped it was long enough that Nigel would recognize him.

When the cream-and-white tom had attacked, WindClan was thrown into chaos. Reid took the opportunity to escape the warriors' grips and run as far as his wounded body would take him. It wasn't very far, granted, but it seemed to be far enough because it had been two days and no one had attempted to bring him back yet.

He could, from here, make his way to Dominique without much issue. Besides the fact that he'd been sent out to retrieve Whitepaw and he hadn't done that. That was an issue.

But what was the difference between Nigel and Dominique, anyways? Both seemed to be bloodthirsty and capable of much. Reid, watching from the sidelines, had noticed that Nigel was kicking Tigerstar's ass despite only having three cats behind him and Tigerstar having about twenty. Dominique had done the same thing, annihilation by playing to his advantages. The two cats used much different strategies, Dominque using brute force and Nigel attacking swiftly from darkness, but they were both someone to look up to. Nigel was Reid's best bet, he knew. He would wait until the tom won, and then he would reintroduce himself.

It wouldn't be too long of a wait, Reid laughed to himself. If Nigel didn't finish Tigerstar off himself, the Clan would definitely do it themselves.

 _(POV: Hawkstripe)_

 _In the dream, Hawkstripe was alone._

He stood alone in a field of dead bodies, all in varying stages of rot and _all_ of them, Hawkstripe knew, were dead because of him.

"You did this."

He whipped around to see who it was behind him, outlined against the red sky. He had to gasp at her beauty, her striking eyes he thought he'd never see again. But it was wrong. It was all wrong. She resonated pure hatred, and after the initial surprise of seeing her, Hawkstripe took a few steps back.

She was unfazed by his reaction, looking around the land with disgust in her eyes. "You did this, Hawkstripe."

"I-I'm sorry, Leaftail." He chose to step towards her. She didn't move.

"No you're not. You did this. You killed him."

"Kill-killed who?"

She growled in apparent despair and faced the ground. "My kit..." she wheezed. "My poor kit..."

Hawkstripe's breath stopped as the realization hit him.

"No... no, what do you mean?"

"You killed him, Hawkstripe.

" _You killed my kit_."

He froze. He froze at the words he'd never thought would come out of her mouth. She wasn't supposed to know. No one was supposed to know.

"I'm sorry, love," he said again, but his voice was weak. His mind was reeling. He didn't know what to say, what to do. Where was he again?

He stepped forward again, to be face-to-face with her. "Leaftail..."

" _No_!" she screeched. Hawkstripe flinched back, and when he looked again, she was gone.

He tried to run to where she was, to look for her, but tripped over the paw of a corpse sprawled on the ground. He fell next to it, looked into its dead eyes. And he recognized them.

 _"Silverfawn!"_

..

He woke with a jolt, stirring the branches of the bush he was sleeping under. The nightmare was a fresh wound in his mind, and he struggled to regain control of his breath.

He looked around the clearing. Dawn was only just breaking and the ShadowClan camp was quiet. Despite the early time, he met Rustclaw's damning green gaze from his hollow under his bush. Damn, he was the last cat Hawkstripe wanted to see. His eyes seemed to dare him to come forward.

And so he did. He wasn't one to refuse a challenge.

"Hawkstripe, what are you doing?" Stilled Water was a foreigner from somewhere in the the North, and she was guarding the prisoner currently.

"You wouldn't mind leaving us for a bit, would you?" he bluntly asked her.

"Um, I would, actually." Northerners had a bit of a weird way of talking, having a nasally voice.

"Come on, Stil, how far back do we go?" he pleaded. "I'm not asking for treason here, just a little time alone."

It was true that she and Hawkstripe went far back, even before she joined a clan, and that they'd spent more than one night together under the stars when they were younger.

She gave a wary look to Jaunestar's den and seemed to consider it. "Alright, but not for too long," she eventually said and hurried off.

Once she was gone, Rustclaw spoke first.

"Bad dream, old friend?"

"Just the usual," Hawkstripe answered. ' _Old friend_ ,' not what he would have expected from Rustclaw.

"I guess kit-murdering really brings out the bad in the subconscious, huh?" the imprisoned tom sneered.

Hawkstripe took a breath in preparation of a protest but it died in his throat. He was just so tired.

"You can't even deny it anymore," Rustclaw continued. "Are you finally going to own up to them, the terrible things you've done?"

Hawkstripe was silent, letting the words sting him like claw marks.

"Are you finally going to confess that you killed my son?"

Hawkstripe inhaled and looked away. " _I'm sorry_ ," he whispered. His voice was hoarse.

"Well, too bad. You killed Goldkit and you killed Leaftail, and I-"

"I didn't kill Leaftail." Hawkstripe finally looked at Rustclaw. "I would never have hurt her."

"But you _did_ ," Rustclaw hissed. "You killed her firstborn kit."

He looked away again. "I'm sorry."

"Go fuck yourself. _Shh_ -" he cut the other warrior off. "I'm not listening to you."

Hawkstripe looked around the camp again, despairing. Besides Stilled Water loitering by the nursery, the clearing was still empty.

A bit of his old self flickered to life within him. The sorrowful and merciful self that had always looked for a way to make everything better. That was the cat he used to be, unless provoked. Sometimes the rage within him surfaced, sometimes he lost control. But once upon a time, he'd had nothing but good intentions. Something inside him broke that, and he'd lost sight of himself in the name of love. Especially after getting his throat sliced by his oldest friend, a permanent rage had clouded over his vision. Making him apathetic and cold. Taking his self-control away from him.

No matter what, he was a loyal warrior. ThunderClan would always be his Clan, his birthplace, his first priority. Right now it was in danger, and if there was something he could do about it, then he damn well better do it.

He met Rustclaw's eyes again.

"What if I said I'll help you escape this place?"

Rustclaw looked surprised at best. "Then I'd say I'm listening."

Hawkstripe bent down to his eye level. "On one condition."

"Any."

"You need to find Rockpaw, wherever he's gone to, and tell him where to find me."

Rustclaw snarled in apparent disgust, but agreed. " _Fine_."

Hawkstripe took a breath.

 _Here goes nothing._


	27. Chapter 23:: The Injustice Of Love

**Okay, so the last chapter is still in need of editing I guess, but we finally learned Hawkstripe's secret. Honestly he's like one of my favorite characters in this whole thing (along with Tigerstar, Jaunestar, Trickface, and some others), so sorry if I'm obsessing over him a bit :/**

 **...Btw, ShadowClan constantly stealing kits is kind of cliche, isn't it? ._.**

 **Anyways, I hope you get something out of this chapter even if the perspectives jump around a lot; leave a review and let me know how I did!**

* * *

 _"Now, the truth should be known from the start, as we spill the blood from your heart!"_

 _-My Revenge,_ The Raven Age

Chapter 23:: The Injustice Of Love

 _In the past-_

"Hawkpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Hawkpaw swallowed and hoped his voice didn't break. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Hawkpaw, from this moment forward you will be known as Hawkstripe. StarClan acknowledges your cleverness and your skills in battle, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Spiderstar rested his muzzle on the new warrior's head, but the young tom hesitated to lick his shoulder. Gross, that was.

When it was over, he went to awkwardly stand with the newly named Shatteredgaze while the clan shouted their names. He was very busy basking in the light of self-importance, while Hawkstripe kept his back straight pretending not to look as uncomfortable as he felt.

Eventually the clan dispersed, only some coming to congratulate the two.

Leaftail, made warrior only two months prior and heavily pregant, was one. Lightheart, practically her best friend, accompainied her.

"Hey, Leaftail. How're you doing?" Hawkstripe asked.

"Good," she answered. "Darkbite says I'll soon be kitting," But StarClan, she was beautiful, even fat with the pregnancy of another tom's kits.

"That's awesome. Excited?" Shatteredgaze smiled.

"And a bit nervous." She chuckled quite nervously.

.Hawkstripe smiled along with Shatteredgaze although he wanted to do anything but. He could tell that the white warrior was genuinely happy for Leaftail and Rustclaw. Rustclaw was a friend of all of them, but Hawkstripe found himself hating him more and more as the days went by. It was only jealousy, he knew, and he wished he could get over it.

But it was burning him up inside.

He never did have good emotional control, when it came down to it.

 **...**

Hawkstripe came back from his first patrol as warrior feeling proud of himself. He hadn't done much, he hadn't even seen cats from other clans to brag to. He'd hoped to see Silverpaw from RiverClan; she'd be so jealous. She and her brother were a moon younger than Hawkstripe. It would be at least that length of time before they too were warriors.

When he came into the camp, he caught sight of Rustclaw by the nursery looking very nervous indeed.

 _Oh no._

Hawkstripe hurried over to him. Being a good friend of his, Rustclaw accepted his presence with a nod.

Hawkstripe formulated a question in his mind. "Is she-"

He was cut off by a screech of pain from the nursery.

Rustclaw nodded. "Darkbite said it should be fine."

They both flinched as she screamed again.

"I'm sure it will be."

More moments passed in silence. Hawkstripe would have left Rustclaw there, but he sensed that he didn't want him to.

Eventually there was one last screech from Leaftail. Shortly after, Darkbite emerged from the den.

"Would you like to see your son, Rustclaw?"

He shared a relieved and excited glance with Hawkstripe before nodding ecstatically and disappearing into the den.

"She's okay?" Hawkstripe asked Darkbite.

The medicine cat nodded. "She and the kit will be fine... Are you?"

Hawkstripe looked away from Darkbite's eyes. He didn't have the heart to lie to him, the only cat he'd ever trusted.

"I love her," he said quietly, keeping his gaze to the ground.

"I know," Darkbite said.

"I loved her first."

"I know."

"I don't know what to do."

"I don't think there's anything you can do, son, except get over it."

Hawkstripe sighed. "I know. I just... What did I do wrong?"

Darkbite's manner changed to something more serious. "Nothing. Hawkstripe, there's nothing wrong with you. You were both young, you both made mistakes. You just have to try to move on."

Hawkstriped sighed once more. "I know. Thank you."

"It's what I'm here for. My den is always open if you need anything." And he walked away.

"Hawkstripe!"

He looked to the nursery where Rustclaw was in the entrance. "Come in and see him!"

Hesitantly, Hawkstripe obliged.

Inside, it was comfortably warm. Hawkstripe followed his friend to Leaftail's nest, which was obviously not the nest she gave birth in. He spotted the bloody mess where she'd been for that.

Leaftail looked up and smiled when she saw him. A warm, friendly smile and nothing more.

"Look at him, Hawkstripe. Isn't he beautiful?"

He looked down at the tiny, ginger kit suckling at Leaftail's belly.

"Yes," he said. "I'm sure he'll grow to be an amazing warrior."

Leaftail laughed lightly. "Yes, I'm sure. I can't wait for Shatteredgaze to see him."

Hawkstripe nodded. "He'll be excited."

"Can I ask you something?"

Again Hawkstripe nodded. "Anything."

"When the time comes, would... Would you be his mentor?"

Hawkstripe looked at her in surprise, and then to Rustclaw. "Me? Are you sure?" He hoped his voice sounded more surprised than disgusted.

"Of course," she answered. "Who better?"

"I'd..." _I'd rather die, love._ "I'd be honored."

He looked down at the tiny thing again, feeling nothing but hatred towards it.

 _It's not fair_ , he thought. _I loved her first._

"Thank you, Hawkstripe.

"His name is Goldkit."

 _In the present-_

Trickface stood in front of Jaunestar in the leader's den, receiving his orders.

"You are to work with Wolfclaw this time," he was instructing, "because WindClan will be expecting you alone to go after the kits-"

"Hold on," Trickface cut in.

Jaunestar looked at him impatiently. This wasn't the first time he'd interrupted. " _What_?"

"Can I work with Viperswipe instead? He's better than Wolfclaw."

Jaunestar sighed. " _Fine_."

"Also, why are we still stealing kits?"

"Dammit, Trickpaw, are you my son or not?" The leader seemed exasperated.

Trickface was taken aback. "Well I like to think that I am. Though I'd also like to think that my father would remember my warrior name."

Jaunestar's tail thrashed and he growled lightly in agitation. "It's for _power_ , Trickface. If we have what the clans desire, then we hold _power_ over them. For as long as they do our bidding, their kits go unharmed. And we have enough warriors and skill to hold them back if they decide to rise against us."

"Then why are you only sending Viperswipe and me to sneak into WindClan?"

" _Strategy_ , Trickface."

The young warrior sighed. He didn't want anything to do with this. He admired and respected his father, but at the same time he hated him. No more than his father hated him back, surely.

He listened to the rest of Jaunestar's orders unwillingly. Maybe he'd go to WindClan, have them capture Viperswipe and then just stay there. Tigerstar had his flaws, but at least he wasn't a kit thief. One could even say that he was a good cat.

Jaunestar dismissed him, telling him to head to WindClan as soon as it started to get dark. Trickface dipped his head in apparent respect and made his way to tell Viperswipe.

The lanky grey tom was just coming back from a hunting patrol, setting his measly findings on the fresh-kill pile. He and Muddyeye were the only two of five to have found anything.

"Hey," Trickface greeted.

"Hm? Yeah?" Viperswipe looked to him.

Trickface relayed Jaunestar's orders to him and he screwed up his face in disgust. " _Another_ kit?"

"If I'm being honest, Viperswipe, I don't like it any more than you do. But orders are orders." Trickface sighed.

"I guess," the grey warrior answered.

"Anyways, we are to head out at twilight."

Viperswipe nodded. "See you then, I suppose."

Trickface dipped his head in respect to the elder warrior before taking his leave. How much longer did he have to do Jaunestar's vile bidding?

 _(POV: Hawkstripe)_

Hawkstripe had felt discontent in the ShadowClan camp from the moment Trickface first brought him through the entrance. He found it hilarious that Jaunestar didn't seem to have a clue. The dark-furred tom had a knack for battle and holding power over others, but when it came to keeping his own clan in check, he was lacking.

All Hawkstripe had to do was keep Jaunestar on his ludicrous path of war crime, eventually making his clan unhappy enough that their fear of him didn't mean anything. ShadowClan would rise up against its leader. Hawkstripe wondered who those cats were most likely to be.

Definitely not Wolfclaw, unless there was power in it for him. Perhaps Viperswipe would. From what Hawkstripe had seen, he was rather fond of one of the kits in the nursery. If he hadn't known better, he'd think the kit was Viperswipe's son. It wouldn't be too difficult to make Jaunestar seem like a threat to the kit's life, Hawkstripe supposed.

Mintwillow, the ShadowClan deputy, would have to go down with Jaunestar. Calixte, too. But who would rule the clan after that?

Maybe the cats would let Hawkstripe lead. After all, there was almost no chance of him returning back to ThunderClan to live his old life. Being the cat that would orchestrate the entire rebellion against Jaunestar, Hawkstripe thought there'd be a chance. And for as long as he kept them happy, they would accept his rule.

He just had to find a balance to both satiate the needs of the vicious and bloodthirsty as well as the meek and weak-stomached. And war was perfect for such a thing.

But, Hawkstripe suddenly thought, there was also Trickface to consider. On one paw, the gold-eyed tom always seemed bored and would do anything to make his life more interesting. On the other, he was known to be deathly efficient and would do anything to complete an order. And would the son of Jaunestar really betray his own father?

 _(POV: Weststar)_

 _"What did you do, Red Ash?!"_

 _"Weststar, look, I can explain."_

Weststar threw him against the trunk of the nearest tree and bared his teeth to his throat.

 _"Yes, please do. Please explain to me why my_ dead son _is imprisoned in the Dark Forest. But you better choose your words_ very _fucking carefully."_

 _(POV: Tigerstar)_

WindClan was tired and its numbers were steadily dwindling. Tigerstar was done with this.

He was going to call Fallowstar out, one-on-one. Whoever won would get control over the Clan.

Sorrelspot must have spent half the day trying to talk him out of it. It almost worked more than once. Sorrelspot was his best friend, and he usually knew best. Tigerstar recounted all the times he'd made mistakes, and every one of those times, Sorrelspot had tried to tell him, tried to talk sense into him.

But he didn't know what else to do. Nigel was going to take over his clan no matter what he did.

And eventually, Sorrelspot had given up.

"Fine then, whatever you think is best," he'd said in defeat. He didn't wait to be dismissed before plodding away.

"Wait; Sorrelspot," Tigerstar called once more.

"Hm?" The medicine cat turned around.

"Tell your apprentice to come in here, please?"

He nodded and turned away. "I hope I won't be sending him to his death as well," he said over his shoulder.

Tigerstar sighed and set his head on his paws. Before long, Digger came into the den.

"Yes?"

The leader sat straight. "I need you to do me a favour."

 _(POV: Nigel)_

Nigel slunk into the training hollow with all the arrogance and sarcasm he was known for.

"You called?" he asked Tigerstar in a voice that was a low growl.

"Yes," said the leader. "It's time to end this."

He looked interested, even if it seemed fake.

"I challenge you to a duel, Nigel."

Nigel laughed scornfully. "Really, Tigerscratch? _You_ fighting a duel against... _me_?"

Tigerstar raised his head defiantly. "Yes, a duel. If you win, you get control of WindClan. If not, you leave."

"Why?"

"Because I'm sick of this."

Nigel's face twitched into a smirk. "I'm going to win, Tigerscratch. You know I will."

Tigerstar shifted his paws. "Then at least I'll go down with a fight," he said quietly.

"So be it."

 _(POV: Weststar)_

"...And then, I thought I'd just... bring him back to life, and we'd have nothing to worry about. You know? I didn't think that he'd be so far gone."

"No, you didn't think at all," Weststar snarled. "It didn't occur to you even _once_ that your plan would go wrong?"

Red Ash shrugged. "Didn't think it could be worse than Hawkstripe, I guess."

Weststar growled. "Well your ignorance cost me my son."

The other tom scoffed. "You act like you even cared about him in the first place."

Weststar pulled Rd Ash off the tree with his teeth and pinned him on the ground. His claws dug into the tom's throat, drawing blood.

"C'mon, Weststar, this is no time to be fighting among your own allies-" His sentence was cut off by Weststar putting more pressure on his throat.

" _We. Are. Not. Allies_ ," he growled. " _You took my son from me_. And as soon as my need for you has run out, I'm going to _rip your spine out_."

He leaned forward, face-to-face with Red Ash.

 _"Bring Stingpaw to me."_


End file.
